Douglas Durkin
Encyclopedia
Douglas Durkin was a Canadian novelist
, short story writer and screenwriter
.
, Ontario
, Canada
, but moved with his family to Swan River, Manitoba
, during his youth. He worked as a professor of English literature
at Brandon College and the University of Manitoba
between 1911 and 1921, when he moved to New York
, leaving behind his wife and children. He taught creative writing briefly at Columbia University
before turning to a full-time writing career with fellow-novelist Martha Ostenso
. Durkin and Ostenso married in 1945, after the death of his first wife, and lived together, first in New York and later in Minnesota
, until Ostenso's death in 1963. Durkin died in Seattle, Washington
, in 1967.
Durkin is best known for his 1923 novel The Magpie, set during the Winnipeg General Strike and dealing with issues of worker's rights. It is considered a valuable contribution to the emergence of realism
in Canada, particularly prairie realism.
Durkin is also known for his relationship with Ostenso. Durkin and Osteno met at the University of Manitoba where she was his student; shortly after Durkin moved to New York, where Ostenso followed him. It has been suggested that Durkin contributed significantly to Ostenso's first novel, Wild Geese (1925), a fact that was kept secret because Wild Geese won the 1925 Dodd, Mead and Company
Best Novel of the Year Award, which could only be awarded to first-time novelists.
In 1958, at the end of their writing careers, Ostenso and Durkin signed a legal agreement stating retroactively that every novel published under the name "Martha Ostenso" had in fact been collaboratively written by Ostenso and Durkin. This may account for why Durkin published only one novel after The Magpie, the darkly humorous Mr. Gumble Sits Up (1930). Durkin did continue to publish short stories under his own name as well as under the pseudonym "Conrad North," a nickname apparently given to him by Ostenso.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, short story writer and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Biography
Douglas Leader Durkin was born in Parry SoundParry Sound
Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian Bay, while it is bordered on the south side by Parry Island, home of...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
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...
, but moved with his family to Swan River, Manitoba
Swan River, Manitoba
-Economy:The economic base of the town lies in agriculture and forestry along with support industries for same.Almost fifty percent of the surrounding area is under cultivation, most of which is seeded to cereal grain, oilseeds, and other specialty crops. Wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, and canola...
, during his youth. He worked as a professor of English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Brandon College and the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
between 1911 and 1921, when he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, leaving behind his wife and children. He taught creative writing briefly at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
before turning to a full-time writing career with fellow-novelist Martha Ostenso
Martha Ostenso
Martha Ostenso was a Canadian novelist and screenwriter.-Background:Ostenso was born in Haukeland , in Hordaland County, Norway. Her parents were Sigurd and Olina Ostenso. She emigrated with her family to the United States in 1902...
. Durkin and Ostenso married in 1945, after the death of his first wife, and lived together, first in New York and later in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, until Ostenso's death in 1963. Durkin died in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, in 1967.
Durkin is best known for his 1923 novel The Magpie, set during the Winnipeg General Strike and dealing with issues of worker's rights. It is considered a valuable contribution to the emergence of realism
Realism
Realism, Realist or Realistic are terms that describe any manifestation of philosophical realism, the belief that reality exists independently of observers, whether in philosophy itself or in the applied arts and sciences. In this broad sense it is frequently contrasted with Idealism.Realism in the...
in Canada, particularly prairie realism.
Durkin is also known for his relationship with Ostenso. Durkin and Osteno met at the University of Manitoba where she was his student; shortly after Durkin moved to New York, where Ostenso followed him. It has been suggested that Durkin contributed significantly to Ostenso's first novel, Wild Geese (1925), a fact that was kept secret because Wild Geese won the 1925 Dodd, Mead and Company
Dodd, Mead and Company
Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. Its history properly began in 1870, with the retirement of its founder, Moses Woodruff Dodd. Control passed to his son Frank...
Best Novel of the Year Award, which could only be awarded to first-time novelists.
In 1958, at the end of their writing careers, Ostenso and Durkin signed a legal agreement stating retroactively that every novel published under the name "Martha Ostenso" had in fact been collaboratively written by Ostenso and Durkin. This may account for why Durkin published only one novel after The Magpie, the darkly humorous Mr. Gumble Sits Up (1930). Durkin did continue to publish short stories under his own name as well as under the pseudonym "Conrad North," a nickname apparently given to him by Ostenso.
Selected bibliography
- The Heart of Chair McBain (1919)
- The Lobstick Trail (1921)
- The Magpie (1923)
- Mr. Gumble Sits Up (1930)