Merilyn Simonds
Encyclopedia
Merilyn Simonds is a Canadian
writer.
, and returned to Canada as a teenager, where she was educated at the University of Western Ontario
. She subsequently worked as a freelance writer, and was an editor of Harrowsmith
.
Her most famous book is The Convict Lover, published in 1996. That book, a finalist for the 1996 Governor General's Awards
, resulted when Simonds found a cache of romantic letters in her attic, written by a prison
inmate to a woman who formerly occupied Simonds' house. With only half the story available to her, Simonds published the letters interspersed with her own historical research and speculation about the woman and her romance with a prisoner.
In 1991, Simonds also co-wrote, with Merrily Weisbord
, the book accompaniment to the controversial CBC Television
documentary The Valour and the Horror
.
Simonds also frequently publishes lifestyle and nature
journalism for magazines such as Canadian Geographic
, Saturday Night
and Equinox. She published her first novel, The Holding, in 2004. From September to December 2006 she served as the Writer in Residence at Green College, University of British Columbia
.
Simonds lives with writer and translator Wayne Grady
outside Kingston, Ontario
.
Fiction
As Anthologist:
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.
Biography
Merilyn Simonds spent her childhood in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and returned to Canada as a teenager, where she was educated at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. She subsequently worked as a freelance writer, and was an editor of Harrowsmith
Harrowsmith (magazine)
Harrowsmith Country Life was a lifestyle magazine geared to countryside or rural living. Originally just called Harrowsmith, it was founded as a back-to-the-land and environmental magazine in the small village of Camden East in 1976 by James M. Lawrence...
.
Her most famous book is The Convict Lover, published in 1996. That book, a finalist for the 1996 Governor General's Awards
1996 Governor General's Awards
The 1996 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented on November 14, 1996.-English Language:FictionWinner:*Guy Vanderhaeghe, The Englishman's BoyOther Finalists:*Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace...
, resulted when Simonds found a cache of romantic letters in her attic, written by a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
inmate to a woman who formerly occupied Simonds' house. With only half the story available to her, Simonds published the letters interspersed with her own historical research and speculation about the woman and her romance with a prisoner.
In 1991, Simonds also co-wrote, with Merrily Weisbord
Merrily Weisbord
Merrily Weisbord is a Canadian non-fiction writer, best known for her 2010 book The Love Queen of Malabar, a memoir of her longtime friendship with the late Indian writer Kamala Das...
, the book accompaniment to the controversial CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
documentary The Valour and the Horror
The Valour and the Horror
The Valour and the Horror was a Canadian television documentary miniseries, which aired on CBC Television in 1992. It was a co-production between the CBC. the National Film Board of Canada and Galafilm Inc. The films were also broadcast by Radio-Canada, the French network of the CBC...
.
Simonds also frequently publishes lifestyle and nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
journalism for magazines such as Canadian Geographic
Canadian Geographic
Canadian Geographic is the bimonthly magazine of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society . It was first published in May 1930 under the name Canadian Geographical Journal. The society's objective was to produce a popular magazine dealing primarily with Canadian geography...
, Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
and Equinox. She published her first novel, The Holding, in 2004. From September to December 2006 she served as the Writer in Residence at Green College, University of British Columbia
Green College, University of British Columbia
Green College is a centre for interdisciplinary scholarship and a community of scholars at the University of British Columbia founded by Cecil Howard Green and Ida Green....
.
Simonds lives with writer and translator Wayne Grady
Wayne Grady (author)
Wayne Grady is a Canadian writer, editor, and translator; currently working as the science editor of Equinox.Grady won the 1989 Governor General's Award for French to English translation for On the Eighth Day, the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation for Christopher Cartier of Hazelnut and...
outside Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
.
Works
Nonfiction- The Art of Soapmaking (Camden House Publishing, 1979)
- Canoecraft (Camden House Publishing, 1983)
- Sunwings (Camden House Publishing, 1985)
- Home Playgrounds (Camden House Publishing, 1987)
- A Chronicle of Our House (Camden House Publishing, 1988)
- The Valour and the HorrorThe Valour and the HorrorThe Valour and the Horror was a Canadian television documentary miniseries, which aired on CBC Television in 1992. It was a co-production between the CBC. the National Film Board of Canada and Galafilm Inc. The films were also broadcast by Radio-Canada, the French network of the CBC...
(Harper Collins, 1991) - The Harrowsmith Salad Garden (Camden House, 1992)
- Fit to Drink (Groundwood Books, 1995)
- The Convict Lover (Macfarlane, Walter and Ross, 1996)
- Breakfast at the Exit Café (Greystone Books, 2010)
- "A New Leaf: Growing With My Garden" (Doubleday Canada, 2011)
Fiction
- The Lion in the Room Next Door (McClelland and StewartMcClelland and StewartMcClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann....
, 1999) - The Holding (McClelland and Stewart, 2004)
As Anthologist:
- Gardens: A Literary Companion (Greystone Books, 2008)
- Night: A Literary Companion (Greystone Books, 2009)