Hubert Aquin (born at Montreal, Quebec, Canada on October 24, 1929; died in Montreal on March 15, 1977) was a novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor.

Aquin graduated from the University of Montreal in 1951. From 1951 to 1954 he studied at the ­­Institut d'études politiques in Paris and on his return to Montreal worked for Radio-Canada from 1955 until 1959.

From 1960 to 1968 Aquin was active he in the movement for Quebec independence. He was an executive member of the first independentist political party, the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (1960–69. In 1964 he declared announced that he was going "underground" to work for independence through terrorism; he was arrested shortly afterwards and detained for four months in a psychiatric institute. It was there that he wrote his first novel, Prochain épisode (1965), the story of an imprisoned revolutionary. In December 1964 he was acquitted of illegal possession of a firearm.

Aquin's novel Next Episode (the English translation of Prochain épisode by Sheila Fischman), was chosen for Year 2003 edition of CBC Radio's Canada Reads competition, where it was championed by journalist Denise Bombardier. It was the winning title.

Bibliography

• Prochain épisode (1965)
• Trou de mémoire (1968)
• L'Antiphonaire (1969)
• Neige noire (1974)
• Blocs erratiques (1977) (posthumous)