Although this Montrealer attracted critical acclaim for her piano playing at the Concours du Prix d'Europe in 1952, she gave up her promising musical career in 1959 to devote herself exclusively to writing. The wisdom of her choice was confirmed in 1963 when she was awarded the Prix du Cercle du Livre de France for her first novel. She was subsequently admitted to the Académie canadienne-française and the Royal Society of Canada, and in 1970 she received the Governor General's award for literature.