Guy Vanderhaeghe

Sue Sorensen (Canadian Mennonite University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.2: Canadian Writing and Culture (Anglophone): The Twentieth Century and beyond, 1900-present.
Vol. editors: Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia)

Dates

Born 5 Apr 1951
Activity 1980-ongoing

Places

Born in Canada
Active in Canada

Activities

Primary

Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist
Story-writer

Resources

Vanderhaeghe's Works

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Guy Vanderhaeghe is one of Canada's most respected and popular authors, a writer who combines prairie realism, profound engagement with western Canadian history, and a deep sense of connection to European thinkers such as Chekhov and Kierkegaard. He names Flannery O'Connor and Alice Munro as two of his varied influences. He sprang to sudden prominence in 1982 with the publication of his first book,

Man Descending

, a collection of short stories that won Canada's top literary prize, the Governor General's award for fiction. His early work is marked by broad humour, sharp colloquial dialogue, and characters who attempt to face bitter disappointments with meager reserves of pride. His markedly different recent books, the novels

The Englishman's Boy

and

The Last Crossing

, have earned even more…

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2150 words

Citation: Sorensen, Sue. "Guy Vanderhaeghe". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4524, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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