MONTREAL - Nelly Arcan, an acclaimed Quebec writer who won international accolades for her work, has been found dead in her Montreal apartment.
In 2001, Arcan's semi-autobiographical debut novel "Putain" was a finalist for two French awards -- the Prix Medicis and Prix Femina.
Arcan, who was born in 1975, also released an English version of her first book under the title "Whore."
The publisher of Arcan's latest novel, "Paradis clef en main," set for release in November, said her death Thursday appears to be a suicide.
Michel Vezina, of Editions Coups de tete, said Friday the literary world lost a "great writer" who saw the world "in a very lucid, very tough, unpretentious manner."
He described Arcan as an intelligent woman, fascinated by beauty, eternal youth and death.
Vezina said the plot of her upcoming novel, which she recently completed, is set in a society where suicide is a right for everyone, not just for those who suffer from serious illnesses.
A journalist who has followed Arcan since the release of her first book described her Friday as "fragile."
Denise Bombardier of CBC's French service said she believes Arcan was "inhabited by sorrow."
Born in Lac-Megantic, Arcan's real name was Isabelle Fortier. She is also well-known in Quebec and France for her works titled "Folle" and "A ciel ouvert."
