Nigel Spencer (writer)
Encyclopedia
Nigel Spencer is a writer
, translator, and professor of English living in Montréal, Quebec, Canada
. He has twice received the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award for translation, in 2002 and 2007. He was also awarded a 'Proclamation of Recognition' by President Lansana Conté
of the Republic of Guinea.
in 1945 and raised in London
and in Montreal
, Canada
. He received a B.A. (Honours in English) from McGill University
and an M.A. in English from the University of Toronto
, as well as pursuing doctoral studies in Drama at the University of Toronto). He also took courses in teacher training at Concordia University
and the University of Sherbrooke. He received a McGill University Entrance Scholarship, a Canada Council Graduate Fellowship, a University College (Toronto) Teaching Fellowship, and a Residency at Banff International Literary Translation Centre.
(Republic of Guinea, West Africa) in 1987.
Most of his career has been spent as a professor of English including: the Collège international des Marcellines 2008; the State University of New York at Plattsburgh
2005; Champlain Regional College
1974−2006; University of Sherbrooke (first known bilingual Comparative Canadian Dramaturgy course) 1976; Teaching Fellow, University College, University of Toronto 1968−71; Co-ordinator of the first-year programme, English Department, Champlain College
1976−78, 1988−89.
Since 1997, he has worked increasingly as a translator of stories and plays by Marie-Claire Blais
and others, including Poet Laureate Pauline MIchel:
He has written the subtitles for numerous films including A Season in the Life of Emmanuel", "Raoul Wallenberg:The Angel of Budapest", "Illuminations: Marie-Claire Blais (in which he also appears), various documentaries for Bravo! Channel, The Other Side of Mount Royal (with script collaboration), and educational films (with accompanying material).
He has appeared as an actor at the University of Toronto, the St. Lawrence Centre, the Old Firehall and other venues in Toronto. He has performed with the Touring Players Foundation (in both French and English), the Lindsay Festival, the Piggery in North Hatley and the Lennoxville Players.
A selection of Spencer's poems, titled After-Images, was published in "Rampike Magazine" in 1998.
He has also been a journalist, a presenter at the Governor General's Lit. Awards, a jury member and chairman for various literary prizes, an organizer and speaker at numerous conferences and seminars, a teachers' union president, a director, plus co-founder of a theatre company and a literary magazine.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, translator, and professor of English living in Montréal, Quebec, 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...
. He has twice received the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award for translation, in 2002 and 2007. He was also awarded a 'Proclamation of Recognition' by President Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté was the second President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
of the Republic of Guinea.
Education
He was born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1945 and raised in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, 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...
. He received a B.A. (Honours in English) from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and an M.A. in English from the University of Toronto
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...
, as well as pursuing doctoral studies in Drama at the University of Toronto). He also took courses in teacher training at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
and the University of Sherbrooke. He received a McGill University Entrance Scholarship, a Canada Council Graduate Fellowship, a University College (Toronto) Teaching Fellowship, and a Residency at Banff International Literary Translation Centre.
Career
As Advisor to the Minister of Education of the Republic of Guinea , he was responsible for researching and re-instituting the teaching of English at the high school and university levels from 1985 to 1987. He was given a Proclamation of Recognition by President Lansana ContéLansana Conté
Lansana Conté was the second President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
(Republic of Guinea, West Africa) in 1987.
Most of his career has been spent as a professor of English including: the Collège international des Marcellines 2008; the State University of New York at Plattsburgh
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
The State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a four-year, public liberal arts college in Plattsburgh, New York. The college was founded in 1889 and opened in 1890. The college is currently part of the State University of New York system and is accredited by the Middle States Association of...
2005; Champlain Regional College
Champlain Regional College
Champlain Regional College was founded in 1971 and named in honour of Samuel de Champlain, the first governor of New France. The College offers post-secondary pre-university , technical and training programs to communities in three distinct regions of Quebec.-History:The college was named after...
1974−2006; University of Sherbrooke (first known bilingual Comparative Canadian Dramaturgy course) 1976; Teaching Fellow, University College, University of Toronto 1968−71; Co-ordinator of the first-year programme, English Department, Champlain College
Champlain College
Champlain College is a private, coeducational college located in Burlington, Vermont. It offers professionally focused programs that incorporate an interdisciplinary core curriculum. In addition to its main campus, the College maintains study-abroad campuses in Montreal and Dublin, and offers...
1976−78, 1988−89.
Since 1997, he has worked increasingly as a translator of stories and plays by Marie-Claire Blais
Marie-Claire Blais
Marie-Claire Blais, is a Canadian author and playwright.- Life :Born in Quebec City, Quebec, she was educated at a convent school and at Université Laval. It was at Laval that she met Jeanne Lapointe and Father Georges Lévesque, who encouraged her to write and, in 1959, to publish her first...
and others, including Poet Laureate Pauline MIchel:
- Thunder and Light by Marie-Claire Blais (winner of Governor General's Literary Award for Translation, 2002)
- Augustino and the Choir of Destruction by Marie-Claire Blais (winner of Governor General's Literary Award for Translation, 2007)
- Wintersleep, The Exile and the Sacred Travellers,"Rebecca: Born in the Maëlstrom", "Mai at the Predators' Ball" and "Collected Plays" by Marie-Claire Blais
- poems, stories and songs by Canadian Poet Laureate Pauline MichelPauline MichelPauline Michel is a Canadian novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter and screenwriter from Quebec.In 2004, Michel was appointed the second ever Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate, succeeding George Bowering. She served as Poet Laureate until her term finished on November 16, 2006.- External links :*...
- Feet of the Angels (play) by Évelyne de la Chenelière
- Stories by Lise Gauvin
- Evolution: The View From the Cottage--Jean-Pierre Rogel
- He has also translated for Time Magazine (Canada).
He has written the subtitles for numerous films including A Season in the Life of Emmanuel", "Raoul Wallenberg:The Angel of Budapest", "Illuminations: Marie-Claire Blais (in which he also appears), various documentaries for Bravo! Channel, The Other Side of Mount Royal (with script collaboration), and educational films (with accompanying material).
He has appeared as an actor at the University of Toronto, the St. Lawrence Centre, the Old Firehall and other venues in Toronto. He has performed with the Touring Players Foundation (in both French and English), the Lindsay Festival, the Piggery in North Hatley and the Lennoxville Players.
A selection of Spencer's poems, titled After-Images, was published in "Rampike Magazine" in 1998.
He has also been a journalist, a presenter at the Governor General's Lit. Awards, a jury member and chairman for various literary prizes, an organizer and speaker at numerous conferences and seminars, a teachers' union president, a director, plus co-founder of a theatre company and a literary magazine.
Timeline of career
- 1962-3: Recipient, McGill Entrance Scholarship
- 1966: McGill UniversityMcGill UniversityMohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
B.A.(Hons.) - 1967: University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe 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...
M.A. - 1968−70: University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe 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...
- 1968-71: Canada CouncilCanada CouncilThe Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
Fellowship - 1968-71: University College (Toronto) Teaching Fellowship
- 1974−2006: Champlain Regional CollegeChamplain Regional CollegeChamplain Regional College was founded in 1971 and named in honour of Samuel de Champlain, the first governor of New France. The College offers post-secondary pre-university , technical and training programs to communities in three distinct regions of Quebec.-History:The college was named after...
, Lennoxville, Quebec - 1976−78: 1st-year Co-ordinator, English Department, Champlain CollegeChamplain CollegeChamplain College is a private, coeducational college located in Burlington, Vermont. It offers professionally focused programs that incorporate an interdisciplinary core curriculum. In addition to its main campus, the College maintains study-abroad campuses in Montreal and Dublin, and offers...
- 1976: Université de SherbrookeUniversité de SherbrookeThe Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
- 1981-3: He was president of the Syndicat des enseignants du College Champlain de Lennoxville
- 1985−87: Advisor to the Minister of Education, Republic of Guinea
- 1988−89: 1st-year Co-ordinator, English Department, Champlain College
- 1989: Concordia UniversityConcordia UniversityConcordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
- 1993-5: Université de SherbrookeUniversité de SherbrookeThe Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
- 2002: Governor General's Literary Award
- 2005: State University of New YorkState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
(Plattsburgh) - 2008: Professor of English, Collège des Marcellines
- 2007: Governor General's Literary Award
- 1972 to date: Journalist
- 1967−85: Actor & director