CREMAZIE, OCTAVE (1827-1879), Canadian poet, was born at Quebec on April 16, 1827, and educated at the Seminary of Quebec. An extraordinarily learned man, he started a bookshop with his two brothers, Jacques and Joseph, which became the cen tre of a literary circle including Etienne Parent, F. Garneau, Louis Frechette among others. This club published a magazine, Les Soirees Canadiennes, with the object of perpetuating the old folklore of French Canada before it could be forgotten. Cremazie also published poems in the Journal de Quebec from about onwards. Unfortunately he became involved in business difficul ties, and to escape their consequences, he departed in 1862 for France, where he spent the rest of his life in great poverty, under the assumed name of Jules Fontaines. During this time he wrote the gloomy poem, Promenade des trois morts, and a journal Siege de Paris, describing the siege of 187o, which he witnessed. His poetry was characterized by a patriotic love of Canada and Cana dian nature, shown especially in the Chant du vieux soldat canadien.
His Oeuvres Completes have been collected, with an introduction by H. R. Casgrain (Montreal, 1883) .