Jean-Louis Grosmaire was born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He has studied in Senegal, Franche-Comté and Paris. He has lived in Quebec since 1969. He holds a PhD in social geography from Université de Montréal. Grosmaire has been a geography professor in Gatineau, Quebec for many years. He is the author of some 20 books, many of which have won awards.