Guy Vanderhaeghe
Encyclopedia
Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe, OC, SOM
(born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian
novelist and short story writer, best known for his two Western novels, The Englishman's Boy
and The Last Crossing
, set in the 19th century American and Canadian West. Vanderhaeghe has won two Governor General's Awards for his fiction, one for his short story collection, Man Descending
, in 1982 and another for his novel, The Englishman's Boy
, in 1996.
, a mining town in southeastern Saskatchewan
. He received his Bachelor of Arts
degree with great distinction in 1971, High Honours in History in 1972 and Master of Arts
in History in 1975, all from the University of Saskatchewan
. In 1978 he received his Bachelor of Education
with great distinction from the University of Regina
. In 1973 he was Research Officer, Institute for Northern Studies, University of Saskatchewan and, from 1974 until 1977, he worked as Archival and Library Assistant at the university.
From 1975 to 1977 he was a freelance writer and editor and in 1978 and 1979 taught English and history at Herbert High School in Herbert
, Saskatchewan
. In 1983 and 1984 he was Writer-in-Residence with the Saskatoon
Public Library and in 1985 Writer-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa
. He has been a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa (1985–86), faculty member of the Writing Program of the Banff Centre for the Arts (1990–91), faculty member in charge of senior fiction students in the SAGE Hills Creative Writing Program (1992). Since 1993 he has served as a visiting professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan.
Vanderhaeghe's first book, Man Descending
(1982), was winner of a Governor General's Award
and the United Kingdom's
Faber Prize. A novel, The Englishman's Boy
(1996), won him a second Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Saskatchewan Book Award for Fiction and for Best Book of the Year, and it was shortlisted for both the Giller Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
The Last Crossing
(2002) was a national bestseller and winner of the Saskatoon Book Award, the Saskatchewan
Book Awards for Fiction and for Book of the Year, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was selected for the 2004 edition of Canada Reads
as the book that should be read by all Canadians.
In 2003, Vanderhaeghe was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit
and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Vanderhaeghe lives with his wife in Saskatoon, SK. He currently teaches creative writing as an evening class at St. Thomas Moore college at the University of Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Order of Merit
The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian
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...
novelist and short story writer, best known for his two Western novels, The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
and The Last Crossing
The Last Crossing
The Last Crossing is a novel by Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. It was first published in 2002 by McClelland and Stewart.A rethinking of the genre of the "western", The Last Crossing is a tale of interwoven lives and stories taking place in the last half of the 19th century, travelling from the...
, set in the 19th century American and Canadian West. Vanderhaeghe has won two Governor General's Awards for his fiction, one for his short story collection, Man Descending
Man Descending
Man Descending is a collection of short stories written by Saskatchewan-born writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. The book was first published by Macmillan of Canada in 1982 and Vanderhaeghe went on to become one of the few first-time authors to win the coveted Governor General's Award for Fiction for this work...
, in 1982 and another for his novel, The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
, in 1996.
Life and career
Guy Vanderhaeghe was born on April 5, 1951 in EsterhazyEsterhazy, Saskatchewan
Esterhazy is a town in the southeastern portion of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, located 83 km southeast of Yorkton along Highways 22 and 80. The town is located within the rural municipality of Fertile Belt No...
, a mining town in southeastern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with great distinction in 1971, High Honours in History in 1972 and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in History in 1975, all from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. In 1978 he received his Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
with great distinction from the University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
. In 1973 he was Research Officer, Institute for Northern Studies, University of Saskatchewan and, from 1974 until 1977, he worked as Archival and Library Assistant at the university.
From 1975 to 1977 he was a freelance writer and editor and in 1978 and 1979 taught English and history at Herbert High School in Herbert
Herbert, Saskatchewan
-External links:* http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=&ex=00000155&sl=2346&pos=1* http://www.townofherbertsk.ca/herbert/index.html...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. In 1983 and 1984 he was Writer-in-Residence with the Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
Public Library and in 1985 Writer-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. He has been a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa (1985–86), faculty member of the Writing Program of the Banff Centre for the Arts (1990–91), faculty member in charge of senior fiction students in the SAGE Hills Creative Writing Program (1992). Since 1993 he has served as a visiting professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan.
Vanderhaeghe's first book, Man Descending
Man Descending
Man Descending is a collection of short stories written by Saskatchewan-born writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. The book was first published by Macmillan of Canada in 1982 and Vanderhaeghe went on to become one of the few first-time authors to win the coveted Governor General's Award for Fiction for this work...
(1982), was winner of a Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
and the United Kingdom's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Faber Prize. A novel, The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
(1996), won him a second Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Saskatchewan Book Award for Fiction and for Best Book of the Year, and it was shortlisted for both the Giller Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
The Last Crossing
The Last Crossing
The Last Crossing is a novel by Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. It was first published in 2002 by McClelland and Stewart.A rethinking of the genre of the "western", The Last Crossing is a tale of interwoven lives and stories taking place in the last half of the 19th century, travelling from the...
(2002) was a national bestseller and winner of the Saskatoon Book Award, the Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
Book Awards for Fiction and for Book of the Year, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was selected for the 2004 edition of Canada Reads
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
as the book that should be read by all Canadians.
In 2003, Vanderhaeghe was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit
Saskatchewan Order of Merit
The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Vanderhaeghe lives with his wife in Saskatoon, SK. He currently teaches creative writing as an evening class at St. Thomas Moore college at the University of Saskatchewan.
Novels
- My Present AgeMy Present AgeMy Present Age is the title of a Canadian novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe which was first published in 1984.This was Vanderhaeghe's first full-length novel after his Governor General's Award-winning debut, the short story collection Man Descending...
(Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1984). - Homesick (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1989).
- The Englishman's BoyThe Englishman's BoyThe Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
(Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1996). - The Last CrossingThe Last CrossingThe Last Crossing is a novel by Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. It was first published in 2002 by McClelland and Stewart.A rethinking of the genre of the "western", The Last Crossing is a tale of interwoven lives and stories taking place in the last half of the 19th century, travelling from the...
(Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2002). - A Good Man (Toronto: McClelland & Steward, 2011).
Short Story Collections
- Man DescendingMan DescendingMan Descending is a collection of short stories written by Saskatchewan-born writer Guy Vanderhaeghe. The book was first published by Macmillan of Canada in 1982 and Vanderhaeghe went on to become one of the few first-time authors to win the coveted Governor General's Award for Fiction for this work...
(Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1982). - The Trouble With Heroes (Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1983).
- Things As They Are?Things As They Are?Things As They Are? is a short story collection by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1992 by McClelland and Stewart. Like his previous short story collections, Man Descending and The Trouble With Heroes, Things As They Are? deals with themes of masculinity and small town life in Saskatchewan....
(Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1992).
Plays
- I Had a Job I Liked. Once. (Saskatoon: Fifth House, 1992).
- Dancock's Dance (Winnipeg: Blizzard Pub., 1996).
External links
- Guy Vanderhaeghe at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...