Leon Rooke, CM (born September 11, 1934) is a Canadian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. He was born in

Roanoke Rapids Roanoke Rapids () is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,229 at the 2020 census and is the largest community in Halifax County. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the United States. Educated at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, he moved to Canada in 1969. He now lives in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Rooke helped to found the

Eden Mills Writers' Festival The Eden Mills Writers' Festival is held annually in the village of Guelph/Eramosa, Eden Mills, which is approximately east of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The festival includes readings by poets, authors, and other writers at various outdoor venues ...

in 1989. In 2002, Rooke championed ''

The Stone Angel ''The Stone Angel'' is a novel by the Canadian writer Margaret Laurence. First published in 1964 by McClelland and Stewart, it is perhaps the best-known of Laurence's series of five novels set in the fictitious town of Manawaka, Manitoba. In ...

'' by

Margaret Laurence Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...

in that year's edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

''. 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 The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Bibliography

Novels

*''Fat Woman'' (1980) — nominated for a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

*'' Shakespeare's Dog'' (1983) — winner of the 1983 Governor General's Award for Fiction *''A Good Baby'' (1989) *''Who Goes There'' (1998) *''The Fall of Gravity'' (2000) *''The Beautiful Wife'' (2005)

Short story collections

Approximately 350 short stories published. *''Last One Home Sleeps in the Yellow Bed'' (1968) *''Vault'' (1973) *''The Love Parlour'' (1977) *''The Broad Back of the Angel'' (1977) *''Cry Evil'' (1980) *''Death Suite'' (1981) *''The Birth Control King of the Upper Volta'' (1982) *''Sing Me No Love Songs, I'll Say You No Prayers: Selected Stories'' (1984) *''A Bolt of White Cloth'' (1984) *''How I Saved the Province'' (1989) *''The Happiness of Others'' (1991) *''Who Do You Love'' (1992) *''Art. Three Fictions in Prose'' (1997) *''Oh! Twenty-Seven Stories'' (1997) *''Painting the Dog: The Best Stories of Leon Rooke'' (2001) *''Hitting the Charts: Selected Stories'' (2006) *''The Last Shot: Eleven Stories and a Novella'' (2009) *''Swinging Through Dixie'' (2016) *''Fabulous Fictions and Peculiar Practices'', with Tony Calzetta (2016)

Poetry

*''Hot Poppies'' (2005) *''The April Poems'' (2013)

References

External links

*
Leon Rooke's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
1934 births Canadian male novelists Living people Members of the Order of Canada Governor General's Award–winning fiction writers American emigrants to Canada {{Canada-writer-stub