Joan Givner
Encyclopedia
Joan Givner is an essayist, biographer, and novelist from Manchester
, England, known for her biographies of women, short stories, and the Ellen Fremendon series of novels for younger readers that was finalist for the Silver Birch Awards, the 2006 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for Ellen Fremedon, and the Diamond Willow Awards.
education, in 1958 Joan obtained a BA (Hons.) from the University of London
, and an MA from Washington University, in 1963.and after a period of teaching in the USA, her Ph.D in London in 1972, and joined the English Department of the University of Saskatchewan
, Regina Campus, which in 1974 became the autonomous University of Regina
, and where she was appointed Professor of English in 1981. She remained on the faculty until she retired in 1995 to settle in British Columbia
and take up full-time writing.
In 1978-1979 Givner was Fellow of the Bunting Institute
, Radcliffe College, Harvard University
. Givner was editor of the Wascana Review
the literary journal of the University of Regina from 1984 to 1992, is a jury member for several literary prizes, and a contributor to the Literary Review of Canada
. In 1989 and 1990 she was a Member of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council adjudication committee, and in 1991, Chair of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
adjudication committee. In 1992 Givner won the CBC
fiction competition.
In 1958 she married David Givner and has two children.
, and Joan Givner as herself.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, known for her biographies of women, short stories, and the Ellen Fremendon series of novels for younger readers that was finalist for the Silver Birch Awards, the 2006 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for Ellen Fremedon, and the Diamond Willow Awards.
Biography
Following a grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
education, in 1958 Joan obtained a BA (Hons.) from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and an MA from Washington University, in 1963.and after a period of teaching in the USA, her Ph.D in London in 1972, and joined the English Department of 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...
, Regina Campus, which in 1974 became the autonomous 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...
, and where she was appointed Professor of English in 1981. She remained on the faculty until she retired in 1995 to settle in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and take up full-time writing.
In 1978-1979 Givner was Fellow of the Bunting Institute
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University. It is heir to the name and buildings of Radcliffe College, but unlike that historical institution, its focus is directed...
, Radcliffe College, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Givner was editor of the Wascana Review
Wascana Review
Wascana Review is a peer reviewed literary journal published by the University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Founded in 1966 and current published in print twice yearly, and also available open access electronically, beginning with v.42 The review focusses on essays, articles,...
the literary journal of the University of Regina from 1984 to 1992, is a jury member for several literary prizes, and a contributor to the Literary Review of Canada
Literary Review of Canada
The Literary Review of Canada is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year. The magazine publishes essays and reviews of books on political, cultural and social topics, as well as Canadian poetry...
. In 1989 and 1990 she was a Member of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council adjudication committee, and in 1991, Chair of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is an arm of the Canadian federal funding agency. SSHRC supports a wide range of research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. The current president of the Council is Chad Gaffield.- History :SSHRC was formally...
adjudication committee. In 1992 Givner won the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
fiction competition.
In 1958 she married David Givner and has two children.
Television
Katherine Anne Porter: The Eye of Memory (USA 1986) directed by Ken Harrison, produced by KERA Dallas, and starring Dina Chandel, Eleanor ClarkEleanor Clark
Eleanor Clark was an American writer. Clark was born in Los Angeles. She attended Vassar College in the 1930s and was involved with the literary magazine Con Spirito there, along with Elizabeth Bishop, Mary McCarthy, and her sister Eunice Clark...
, and Joan Givner as herself.
Publications (selection)
- Katherine Anne Porter: A Life (1982, revised 1991) biography commissioned by Katherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim...
, University of Georgia Press, ISBN 9780820313405 - Tentacles Of Unreason (1985), collection of short fiction
- Katherine Anne Porter: Conversations, (1987) a collection of interviews with writer Katherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim...
, University Press of Mississippi, ISBN 9780878052660 - Mazo De La Roche: The Hidden Life (1989) on the life and work of writer Mazo De La RocheMazo de la RocheMazo de la Roche , born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was the author of the Jalna novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time.-Early life:...
- Unfortunate Incidents (1988, 2000), a biography of Rachel de la Warr, Oberon press, ISBN 9780887507328
- Scenes from Provincial Life (1991), Oberon pfress, ISBN 9780887508585
- The Self-Portrait of a Literary Biographer, (1993), autobiography, University of Georgia Press, ISBN 9780820315522
- In the Garden of Henry James (1996), short fiction, Oberon Press, ISBN 978-077801057
- Thirty four ways of looking at Jane Eyre (1998) fiction: short stories and essays, New Star Books, ISBN 9780921586678
- Half Known Lives (2001), fiction, New Star Books, ISBN 9780921586784
- Playing Sarah Bernhardt (2004) novel, Dundurn Press, ISBN 9781550025378
- Ellen Fremedon: Journalist (2005), novel, Groundwood Books, ISBN 9780888996404
- Ellen Fremedon, Volunteer (2007), novel, Groundwood Books, ISBN 9780888997432
- Ellen's Book of Life (2010), novel, Groundwood Books, ISBN 9780888998606
- A Girl Called Tennyson (2011) fantasy fiction, Thistledown Press, ISBN 9781897235836