Alissa York
Encyclopedia
Alissa York is a Canadian
writer and the 1999 winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
. She lived in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
before settling in Toronto
with her writer/filmmaker/publisher husband Clive Holden
.
York is best known for her 2007 Random House Canada novel Effigy, which was nominated in 2007 for one of Canada's most important prizes for literature
and fiction
, the Scotiabank Giller Prize
.
in 1977 and after graduating high school, she moved to Montreal
where she studied English Literature at McGill University
. After meeting Clive Holden
, the man who eventually became her husband, the couple moved throughout Canada living in Toronto, Whitehorse, Montreal, Victoria and Vancouver
. Before publishing her first short story in 1995, York worked various jobs including acting in local theatre productions, waitressing, working at a bookstore and arranging flowers.
in 1999 for the short story
The Back of the Bear’s Mouth.
York’s literature has been translated into many languages including Dutch, Italian and French. Her work was acknowledged internationally when Effigy was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2003.
. Butchery becomes a symbol throughout the novel as pain and fear make this unique novel come alive.
. Feminist undertones and Mormon
scrutiny sets the tone for this novel, which takes place in the 19th century as men and their wives travel across the United States
to tame the wild west. The back story and suffering of each of the four wives in Effigy is explored, but despite the detail and imaginative descriptions throughout the novel, some have argued that Effigy fails to capture an audience’s attention and can take some time to get in to. Others have argued this to be “historical fiction
at its best”.
calls Fauna “a rich novel layered with astonishing detail”, and in August 2010 it was listed number 3 on the Maclean's
Best Sellers list.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer and the 1999 winner of the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
The Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer under 35 who has not yet published his or her first book....
. She lived in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
before settling in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with her writer/filmmaker/publisher husband Clive Holden
Clive Holden
Clive Holden is a Canadian multimedia artist and poet from Victoria, British Columbia, he is currently living in Toronto with his wife, writer Alissa York....
.
York is best known for her 2007 Random House Canada novel Effigy, which was nominated in 2007 for one of Canada's most important prizes for literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, the Scotiabank Giller Prize
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
.
Early life
York was born to Australian immigrant parents in Athabasca, Alberta in 1970. Her parents were English teachers and encouraged York in her passion of reading and writing. York’s family moved to VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
in 1977 and after graduating high school, she moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
where she studied English Literature at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. After meeting Clive Holden
Clive Holden
Clive Holden is a Canadian multimedia artist and poet from Victoria, British Columbia, he is currently living in Toronto with his wife, writer Alissa York....
, the man who eventually became her husband, the couple moved throughout Canada living in Toronto, Whitehorse, Montreal, Victoria and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Before publishing her first short story in 1995, York worked various jobs including acting in local theatre productions, waitressing, working at a bookstore and arranging flowers.
Literature
York has written three novels: Mercy, Effigy and Fauna and a book of short stories, Any Given Power, which won the Journey PrizeJourney Prize
The Journey Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short story published by an emerging writer in a Canadian literary magazine. The award was endowed by James A...
in 1999 for the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
The Back of the Bear’s Mouth.
York’s literature has been translated into many languages including Dutch, Italian and French. Her work was acknowledged internationally when Effigy was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2003.
Mercy
Mercy captures the separate love affairs two priests become involved in spanning over 50 years in a small town in ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Butchery becomes a symbol throughout the novel as pain and fear make this unique novel come alive.
Effigy
Effigy describes the life of a polygamist family in rural UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Feminist undertones and Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
scrutiny sets the tone for this novel, which takes place in the 19th century as men and their wives travel across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to tame the wild west. The back story and suffering of each of the four wives in Effigy is explored, but despite the detail and imaginative descriptions throughout the novel, some have argued that Effigy fails to capture an audience’s attention and can take some time to get in to. Others have argued this to be “historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
at its best”.
Fauna
Fauna captures a different side of Toronto, incorporating nature and humanity and how they intertwine together. York hopes that readers will look differently at nature after examining the detailed description of animals and the surroundings in this book. The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
calls Fauna “a rich novel layered with astonishing detail”, and in August 2010 it was listed number 3 on the Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
Best Sellers list.