Réjean Ducharme was born on August 12, 1941, and died on August 21, 2017. He was a Canadian writer, novelist, and playwright who lived in Montreal. He was known for keeping to himself and did not attend public events after his first successful book was published in 1966. His early works often explored the idea of children rejecting the adult world.

Ducharme’s first novel, L'Avalée des avalés (Swallowed), was nominated for the 1966 Prix Goncourt when he was only 24 years old and not yet famous. The same year, the book won the 1966 Governor General’s Award for Poetry or Drama. In 2005, the French version of the book won Canada Reads, a national reading competition, and was supported by actress Sophie Cadieux.

In the 1992 movie Léolo, the main character spends much time reading and thinking about L'Avalée des avalés.

Ducharme died of natural causes in Montreal at the age of 76 in 2017.

In 2021, the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal renamed its library from the Bibliothèque Georges-Vanier to the Bibliothèque Réjean-Ducharme to honor him.