Michael Bedard
Encyclopedia
Michael Bedard is a Canadian novelist. He was born and raised in Ontario, Canada . He graduated from the University of Toronto
in 1971 with a BA in philosophy and English. He began writing when his former high school teacher showed him works of Emily Dickinson
and T.S Eliot and became a fan of poetry. Bedard currently lives in Toronto with his wife Martha and three kids.
’s Memory, the consummate tale of interaction between young and old.” Others have claimed that Bedard is “working on a new level” and that “everything is described in detail and every point is made through dialogue.”
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1971 with a BA in philosophy and English. He began writing when his former high school teacher showed him works of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
and T.S Eliot and became a fan of poetry. Bedard currently lives in Toronto with his wife Martha and three kids.
A Darker Magic
Bedard’s first novel, A Darker Magic(1987), is about an old teacher (Miss Potts) who discovers a handbill for a magic show which reminds her of the death of a friend from her childhood which she blames on the magic show. With the help of a student (Emily), they are able to prevent the show from happening. Dale Gale calls Bedard’s first novel “rich in language and riveting in tone: it brims with a sense of foreboding that is sustained throughout”. Once again, Gale states that A Darker Magic is a “well-crafted eerie novel that demands to be read again.”Redwork
Redwork (1990) has won numerous awards such as the Governor General's Literary Award , the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Although receiving many awards, his second novel was criticized by some. Margaret A. Chang claims that the novel “falls short of the high standard set by Margaret MahyMargaret Mahy
Margaret Mahy ONZ is a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural...
’s Memory, the consummate tale of interaction between young and old.” Others have claimed that Bedard is “working on a new level” and that “everything is described in detail and every point is made through dialogue.”
Honors/Awards
- Governor General's Literary Award, Canada, 1990
- Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children, 1991
- IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 1991
- National Chapter of Canada, and runner-up, 1991
- Young Adult Canadian award, 1991
- IODE Book Award (Toronto chapter), 1991