Sinclair Ross
Encyclopedia
James Sinclair Ross, CM
(January 22, 1908 - February 29, 1996) was a Canadian banker and author, best known for his fiction about life in the Canadian prairies
. He is best known for his first novel, As For Me and My House
.
near Shellbrook, Saskatchewan
. At the age of seven, his parents separated, and he lived with his mother on a number of different farms during his childhood, going to school in Indian Head
, Saskatchewan. He left school after Grade 11 and in 1924 the sixteen-year-old Ross joined the Union Bank of Canada which became part of the Royal Bank of Canada
a year later. At first he worked in a number of small towns in Saskatchewan then moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1933 and Montreal
, Quebec
in 1946, after spending four years in the Canadian Army during World War II. He would remain with the Royal Bank until his retirement in 1968, after which he spent some time in Spain and Greece before moving to a nursing home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he lived until his death.
As For Me and My House, set in an isolated town in the Prairies during the Great Depression
, was published in 1941. At first not much noticed, it went on to become a
Canadian literary classic which set the precedent for the genre of Canadian prairie fiction.
He wrote three more novels during his lifetime as well as a few anthologies of short stories, none of which became as well-known as his first novel. He is known to have destroyed manuscripts of novels that his publisher rejected, including a sequel to Sawbones Memorial.
A monument in his honour has been erected in Indian Head by Saskatchewan artists and readers with a bronze statue sculpted by Joe Fafard
In 1992, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
. He died in 1996 after battling Parkinson's Disease
, and was buried in Indian Head. At the end of his life, his homosexuality
became public knowledge, thanks in large part to Keath Fraser
's controversial 1997 biography As For Me and My Body: A Memoir of Sinclair Ross.
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...
(January 22, 1908 - February 29, 1996) was a Canadian banker and author, best known for his fiction about life in the Canadian prairies
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
. He is best known for his first novel, As For Me and My House
As for Me and My House
As For Me and My House , by Canadian author Sinclair Ross, was first published by the American company Reynal and Hitchcock, with little fanfare. Its 1957 Canadian re-issue, by McClelland & Stewart, as part of their New Canadian Library line, began its canonization, mostly in university classrooms...
.
Life and career
Ross was born on a homesteadHomesteading
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
near Shellbrook, Saskatchewan
Shellbrook, Saskatchewan
Shellbrook, Saskatchewan is rural community in Saskatchewan, Canada west of Prince AlbertTown, pop 1,276, located 44.5 km W of Prince Albert and served by Hwys 3, 40, and 55.- History :...
. At the age of seven, his parents separated, and he lived with his mother on a number of different farms during his childhood, going to school in Indian Head
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter...
, Saskatchewan. He left school after Grade 11 and in 1924 the sixteen-year-old Ross joined the Union Bank of Canada which became part of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
a year later. At first he worked in a number of small towns in Saskatchewan then moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1933 and 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...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1946, after spending four years in the Canadian Army during World War II. He would remain with the Royal Bank until his retirement in 1968, after which he spent some time in Spain and Greece before moving to a nursing home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he lived until his death.
As For Me and My House, set in an isolated town in the Prairies during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, was published in 1941. At first not much noticed, it went on to become a
Canadian literary classic which set the precedent for the genre of Canadian prairie fiction.
He wrote three more novels during his lifetime as well as a few anthologies of short stories, none of which became as well-known as his first novel. He is known to have destroyed manuscripts of novels that his publisher rejected, including a sequel to Sawbones Memorial.
A monument in his honour has been erected in Indian Head by Saskatchewan artists and readers with a bronze statue sculpted by Joe Fafard
Joe Fafard
Joseph Fafard, OC, SOM is a Canadian sculptor.-Biography:Born in Sainte-Marthe, Saskatchewan in 1942 to Leopold Fafard and Julienne Cantin whose families both date back centuries in Canada. Joe is a descendant of Jacques Goulet. He received a B.S.A from the University of Manitoba in 1966 and a...
In 1992, he was made 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...
. He died in 1996 after battling Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, and was buried in Indian Head. At the end of his life, his homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
became public knowledge, thanks in large part to Keath Fraser
Keath Fraser
Keath Fraser is a Canadian fiction author . Keath Fraser lived in London, England from 1970 to 1973 where he studied at the University of London and he Earned his Ph.D. and taught English in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for five years as a tenured professor...
's controversial 1997 biography As For Me and My Body: A Memoir of Sinclair Ross.
Novels
- As For Me and My HouseAs for Me and My HouseAs For Me and My House , by Canadian author Sinclair Ross, was first published by the American company Reynal and Hitchcock, with little fanfare. Its 1957 Canadian re-issue, by McClelland & Stewart, as part of their New Canadian Library line, began its canonization, mostly in university classrooms...
(1941) - The Well (1958)
- Whir of Gold (1970)
- Sawbones Memorial (1974)