Leon Rooke

Leon Rooke
Leon Rooke at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2013
Rooke at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2013
Born (1934-09-11) September 11, 1934 (age 92)
Writing career
Notable awardsOrder of Canada
Websitewww.leonrooke.ca

Leon Rooke, CM (born September 11, 1934) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in the United States. Educated at the University of North Carolina, he moved to Canada in 1969. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

He is most noted for his 1983 novel Shakespeare's Dog, which was the winner of the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 1983 Governor General's Awards.

With his late wife Connie, Rooke helped to found the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 1989.

In 2002, Rooke championed The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence in that year's edition of Canada Reads. Rooke's work also appears in Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts.

In 2007, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Bibliography

Novels

Short story collections

Approximately 350 short stories published.

Poetry

References

  1. ↑ Donna Coates, "Leon Rooke". The Canadian Encyclopedia, April 10, 2008.
  2. ↑ "CanLit fiction's leading award goes to the Dog". The Globe and Mail, June 21, 1984.
  3. ↑ Andrew Vowles, "University of Guelph celebrates words and writers". Guelph Mercury, March 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Countdown begins to select book 'Canada Reads'". Brantford Expositor, March 30, 2002.
  5. ↑ Order of Canada citation (archived)