Marian Engel

Christl Verduyn (Mount Allison University)

Ed. by Wendy Roy, University of Saskatchewan
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 24 May 1933
Died 16 Feb 1985
Activity 1953-1985

Places

Born in Canada
Active in Canada

Activities

Primary

Novelist
Story-writer

Resources

Engel's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Marian Engel was a key figure on the Canadian writing scene from the mid-1960s until her early death in 1985. She served as the first chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada, established in 1973, and, as a trustee for the Toronto Public Library from 1973 to 1976, she played a crucial role in the creation of Public Lending Rights for writers. She enjoyed friendships with many of Canada’s prominent writers, including Margaret Laurence, Margaret Atwood, and Timothy Findley. Despite a foreshortened career, Marian Engel published seven novels, two collections of short stories, two books for children, a nonfiction work on islands, and numerous articles and essays. She became best known after her fifth novel,

Bear

, won the 1976 Governor General’s Award for English-language fiction.

Marian

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672 words

Citation: Verduyn, Christl. "Marian Engel". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 May 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1428, accessed 26 November 2024.]