FRANÇOIS MAI
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born and raised in South Africa, of first-generation French ancestry and became a Canadian citizen in 1977. Until recently I worked as Medical Advisor to the Government of Canada and remain an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Queen's University, Kingston. From 1988 until 1999, I was Director of Psychiatry at the Ottawa General Hospital and am a Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and a professional member of the Canadian Author’s Association...
BOOKS
Mr. François' Cycling Escapades
2023
Starting with a tricycle at the age of four, François Mai has been passionate about cycling his whole life. Now in his eighties, François has come full circle and once again has a tricycle – a modern electric one. In the years between those two trikes, there have been many bicycles, ridden in six different countries on four continents. The pedals of those now dearly departed bicycles have propelled François along countless thousands of kilometres of both commuter and recreational bicycling, and provided the cycle of incidents and stories that fill the pages of this delightful book.
With Hope In My Heart
2022
Rarely do we see inside the life and mind of a psychiatrist, but that’s exactly what weget in With Hope in My Heart: Musings of a Spirited Psychiatrist. With candor andopenness, author François Mai shares how and why he ventured into psychiatry, thelure of academia, and his professional triumphs and troubles along the way. With Hope in My Heart is more than a psychiatrist’s memoir. It’s a deeply intimate look into the life of a man who endures the death of a brother who had life-longschizophrenia, and himself had two life-threatening medical diagnoses. With themes of hope, Mai navigates readers through tumultuous terrain of spirituality, morality,politics, life, and death.
FATHER, UNKNOWN
2017
Father, Unknown is a beautifully crafted novel of a family struggling to survive before, during, and after the French revolution. It is a story of courage, devotion, mystery, and betrayal, set against the dramatic backdrop of the harrowing and violent days that accompanied the creation of the Republic under Maximillien Robespierre. Through Francois Mai's powerful gift of description, one almost feels the bite of the guillotine, along with the tragic consequences of the revolution on the French people.
DIAGNOSING GENIUS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BEETHOVEN
2007
Beethoven’s extraordinary ability to compose great music despite severe health problems, including deafness and depression, has puzzled and inspired. In Diagnosing Genius Francois Mai looks at the relationship between health and creativity to show how the composer was able to transcend physical and emotional torment to produce some of the most beautiful music in Western Culture.
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GET IN TOUCH
Contact me if you’ve got any comments or questions for me, I’d love to hear from you.