Le lézard amoureux

Le lézard amoureux is a Canadian publishing house and the dedicated poetry imprint of Éditions Nota bene, based in Quebec City, Quebec. It was founded in 2005 by Guy Champagne, the owner of Nota bene, with the participation of poet Catherine Morency. The imprint was created to give a distinct home to poetry within the broader Nota bene catalogue, which otherwise focuses on scholarly essays in literature, the humanities, and the social sciences. Its name — French for "the amorous lizard" — signals a lyrical, playful identity that sets it apart from the parent house's academic profile. Since its founding, Le lézard amoureux has published works by a number of Quebec poets, including Catherine Morency, Annie Lafleur, José Acquelin, and Stéphanie Filion. These authors have helped establish the imprint's reputation in Francophone literary circles. The imprint operates as part of Éditions Nota bene, which itself traces its origins to Nuit blanche éditeur, founded in 1988 by Guy Champagne, Anne-Marie Guérineau, and Denis Le Brun as an extension of the magazine Nuit blanche. Guy Champagne became sole owner in 1998 and renamed the house Nota bene, retaining the "nb" initials. Le lézard amoureux publishes poetry collections and is distributed through the same channels as its parent company, including the distributor Socadis and the Diffuseur Gallimard in certain markets. Its books are sold in bookstores across Quebec and Francophone Canada. The imprint remains active and is listed on the Éditions Nota bene website under its poetry category, alongside the parent house's other series such as Triptyque, Fictions et textes hybrides, Varia, and Essais et écritures du réel. As a brand, Le lézard amoureux represents a specialized literary label rather than a standalone corporation. It benefits from the editorial, administrative, and distribution infrastructure of Éditions Nota bene while maintaining a distinct poetic identity. Its creation reflects a broader trend in Quebec publishing of establishing imprints to segment different genres and audiences within a single publishing house.

Le lézard amoureux was founded in 2005 by Guy Champagne, the owner of Éditions Nota bene, as a dedicated poetry imprint. The creation of the imprint was part of a broader effort to give poetry a distinct identity within the Nota bene catalogue, which had until then focused primarily on scholarly essays in literature, the humanities, and the social sciences. The poet Catherine Morency participated in the founding and quickly published significant works under the imprint, followed by other poets such as Annie Lafleur, José Acquelin, and Stéphanie Filion. The imprint's parent company, Éditions Nota bene, has its own deep history in Quebec publishing. It was originally founded in 1988 as Nuit blanche éditeur by Guy Champagne, Anne-Marie Guérineau, and Denis Le Brun, as an extension of the magazine Nuit blanche, which itself descended from the Bulletin Pantoute launched by Librairie Pantoute in 1974. Guy Champagne became the sole owner in 1998 and renamed the house Nota bene, keeping the "nb" initials. Under the new name, the house dedicated itself to publishing scholarly essays on literature, humanities, and social sciences. Authors such as Michel Freitag, Georges Leroux, and Frédérique Bernier won the Governor General's Literary Award for their essays published by Nota bene. In 2005, the same year Le lézard amoureux was created, Nota bene also published a novel, Nikolski by Nicolas Di, with Antoine Tanguay involved. This shows that the parent house was expanding its literary range beyond essays, and the poetry imprint was part of that diversification. Le lézard amoureux thus became the poetry arm of a publishing house that already had a strong reputation in non-fiction. Since its founding, Le lézard amoureux has maintained a steady output of poetry collections. It operates within the infrastructure of Éditions Nota bene, benefiting from the parent company's editorial, administrative, and distribution networks. The imprint is distributed by Socadis and, through the Diffuseur Gallimard, reaches broader Francophone markets. Its books are sold in bookstores across Quebec and Canada. The imprint remains active and is featured on the Éditions Nota bene website under the poetry category, alongside other series such as Triptyque, Fictions et textes hybrides, Varia, and Essais et écritures du réel.

• 2005

  Le lézard amoureux is founded by Guy Champagne as a poetry imprint of Éditions Nota bene, with poet Catherine Morency participating in the founding.

• 2005

  Éditions Nota bene publishes the novel Nikolski by Nicolas Di, with Antoine Tanguay involved, signaling expansion beyond essays.

• 1998

  Guy Champagne becomes sole owner of Nuit blanche éditeur and renames it Éditions Nota bene.

• 1988

  Nuit blanche éditeur, the predecessor of Éditions Nota bene, is founded by Guy Champagne, Anne-Marie Guérineau, and Denis Le Brun.

Specialized poetry imprint of Éditions Nota bene, dedicated to publishing poetic works within a Francophone literary tradition.

• Poetry collections

  Le lézard amoureux publishes poetry books by Quebec and Francophone poets.

1. 1Accueil - Éditions Nota beneeditionsnotabene.com
2. 2À propos - Éditions Nota beneeditionsnotabene.com
3. 3Histoire de traces. L'héritage de Maurice Meunier - Éditions Nota beneeditionsnotabene.com
4. 4Le lézard amoureux - Wikidatawikidata.org