Sandra Birdsell
Encyclopedia
Sandra Louise Birdsell, CM
(née Bartlette) (born 22 April 1942) is a Canadian
novel
ist and short story
writer of Métis
and Mennonite
heritage.
Born in Hamiota, Manitoba
, she studied at the University of Winnipeg
and the University of Manitoba
, where she studied under Robert Kroetsch
.
In 1996, she moved to Regina
, Saskatchewan
, where she currently resides.
Birdsell was the fifth of eleven children. She lived most of her life in Morris
, Manitoba
. They moved there shortly after her birth because her father joined the army in 1943. Her father was a French-speaking Cree
Metris born in Canada
and her mother was a Low-German speaking Mennonite
who was born in Russia
.
Birdsell left home at the age of fifteen. At the age of thirty-five, she enrolled in Creative Writing
at the University of Winnipeg
. Five years later, Turnstone Press published her first book, the Night Travellers. Two years later, Ladies of the House
was published. Both books are now published as a single volume as Agassiz stories.
There are two main events that have shaped her worldview and had influenced her writing. The first incident happened when Birdsell was six and a half. Her sister died from leukemia
. That left a four year gap between her and her next older sister. She felt ignored and alone even though she was surrounded by 9 other siblings. Her loneliness led her to ponder by herself to the nearby parks and rivers allowing her imagination to go wild.
The second event that shaped her worldview and influenced her writing was the massive flood of Morris
in 1950. Her first three successful stories in Night Travellers are based on that flood.
She is a mother to three children and a grandmother to four children. Her husband, Jan Zarzycki, is a filmmaker.
In January 2007, Birdsell began a four month term as the Carol Shields
writer in residence at the University of Winnipeg.http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/cms-filesystem-action?file=pdfs/media-releases/release-070206-2.pdf
In 2010, Birdsell was appointed a Member 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...
(née Bartlette) (born 22 April 1942) 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...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer of Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
heritage.
Born in Hamiota, Manitoba
Hamiota, Manitoba
Hamiota is a growing community located on Provincial Trunk Highway 21 in Manitoba, Canada, midway between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Yellowhead Highway....
, she studied at the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
and the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, where she studied under Robert Kroetsch
Robert Kroetsch
Robert Kroetsch, OC was a Canadian novelist, poet and non-fiction writer. In his fiction and critical essays, as well as in the journal he co-founded, Boundary 2, he was the single most influential figure in Canada in introducing ideas about postmodernism.He was born in Heisler, Alberta...
.
In 1996, she moved to Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, 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....
, where she currently resides.
Birdsell was the fifth of eleven children. She lived most of her life in Morris
Morris, Manitoba
Morris is a small town of about 1700 people in the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba, Canada, located about 50 km south of Winnipeg and 50 km north of Emerson. Morris is host to the annual Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition. Highway 75 which turns in to Interstate 29 is the major highway...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. They moved there shortly after her birth because her father joined the army in 1943. Her father was a French-speaking Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
Metris born in 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...
and her mother was a Low-German speaking Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
who was born in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Birdsell left home at the age of fifteen. At the age of thirty-five, she enrolled in Creative Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
at the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
. Five years later, Turnstone Press published her first book, the Night Travellers. Two years later, Ladies of the House
Ladies of the House
Ladies of the House is a television movie made-for-tv movie that aired on Hallmark Channel in October 2008. It stars Florence Henderson, Pam Grier, and Donna Mills.-Plot:...
was published. Both books are now published as a single volume as Agassiz stories.
There are two main events that have shaped her worldview and had influenced her writing. The first incident happened when Birdsell was six and a half. Her sister died from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. That left a four year gap between her and her next older sister. She felt ignored and alone even though she was surrounded by 9 other siblings. Her loneliness led her to ponder by herself to the nearby parks and rivers allowing her imagination to go wild.
The second event that shaped her worldview and influenced her writing was the massive flood of Morris
Morris, Manitoba
Morris is a small town of about 1700 people in the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba, Canada, located about 50 km south of Winnipeg and 50 km north of Emerson. Morris is host to the annual Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition. Highway 75 which turns in to Interstate 29 is the major highway...
in 1950. Her first three successful stories in Night Travellers are based on that flood.
She is a mother to three children and a grandmother to four children. Her husband, Jan Zarzycki, is a filmmaker.
In January 2007, Birdsell began a four month term as the Carol Shields
Carol Shields
Carol Ann Shields, CC, OM, FRSC, MA was an American-born Canadian author. She is best known for her 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award in Canada.-Biography:Shields was born in Oak Park, Illinois...
writer in residence at the University of Winnipeg.http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/cms-filesystem-action?file=pdfs/media-releases/release-070206-2.pdf
In 2010, Birdsell was appointed a Member 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...
.
Prizes and honours
- 1984 The Gerald Lampert Award (for Night Travellers)
- 1990 Books in Canada First Novel Award (for The Missing Child)
- 1992 Shortlist, Governor General's Award for Fiction (for The Chrome Suite)
- 1993 Marian Engel AwardMarian Engel AwardThe Marian Engel Award was a Canadian literary award, presented each year from 1986 to 2007 by the Writers' Trust of Canada in memory of the writer Marian Engel...
- 1997 Shortlist, Governor General's Award for Fiction (for The Two-Headed Calf)
- 1997 Shortlist, Silver Birch Award (for The Town That Floated Away)
- 2001 Shortlist, Giller Prize (for The Russländer)
- 2001 Saskatchewan Book of the Year, Best Saskatchewan Fiction and City of Regina (for The Russländer)
- 2007 Longlist, International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardThe International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
(for Children of the Day) - 2007 Saskatchewan Best Fiction Award (for Children of the Day)
- 2010 Shortlist, Governor General's Award2010 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2010 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 13, and winning titles were announced on November 16...
for English fictionGovernor General's Award for English language fictionThis is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English language fiction.-1930s:*1936: Bertram Brooker, Think of the Earth*1937: Laura Salverson, The Dark Weaver*1938: Gwethalyn Graham, Swiss Sonata...
(Waiting for Joe)
AWARDS
- Marion Engel Award for meritorious achievements of a women writer in mid-career.
- The Joseph S. Stauffer Prize, The Canadian Council 1992, for meritorious achievements in the arts.
- Juno AwardJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nomination for radio play, The Town that Flocked Away. - National Magazine Award and nomination for short fiction.
- 45 Below Award, by The Canadian Book Information Center. Chosen as one of ten most promising below the age of 45.
- Awarded writing grant from The Manitoba Arts Council, The Canadian 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...
and the Saskatchewan Arts BoardSaskatchewan Arts BoardThe Saskatchewan Arts Board is an arms-length funding agency that provides grants, programs and services to individuals and groups whose activities have an impact on the arts and the people of Saskatchewan...
. - Nominee for 2010 Saskatchewan Book Award Shortlists: Fiction Award. Waiting for Joe (Random House Canada).
Novels
- Agassiz Stories (1987)
- The Missing Child (1989) Lester & Orpen Dennys
- The Chrome Suite (1992) McClelland & Stewart
- The Town That Floated Away (1997) HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
- The Russländer (2001) McClelland & Stewart
- Children of the Day (2005) Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
- Waiting for Joe (2010) Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
Short Stories
- Night Travellers (1982) Turnstone Press
- Ladies of the House (1984) Turnstone Press
- The Two-Headed Calf (1997) McClelland & Stewart
External links
- Sandra Birdsell
- Sandra Birdsell's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Ripley, Gordon. Who’s who in Canadian Literature. Teeswater: Reference Press, 1997. Print.
- http://0-www.oxfordreference.com.innopac.douglas.bc.ca/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t201.e122
- http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2010/10/18/2010-saskatchewan-book-awards-shortlists/
- http://www.sandrabirdsell.com/
- Lecker, Robert, Jack David and Ellen Quigley, eds. Canadian Writers and their Works: Fiction Series. Vol 12. Toronto: ECW Press, 1995. Print.