Ronald Wright (born 1948, London, England) is a Canadian author who has written books of travel, history and fiction. His nonfiction includes the bestseller ''

Stolen Continents ''Stolen Continents'' is a 1992 non-fiction book by Ronald Wright that covers the colonial theft of land between 1492 and 1990. It specific focuses on activities directed towards the Maya civilization, Maya, Inca Empire, Inca, Aztecs, Aztec, Chero ...

'', winner of the Gordon Montador Award and chosen as a book of the year by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' and the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

''. His first novel, ''A Scientific Romance'', won the 1997

David Higham Prize for Fiction The David Higham Prize for Fiction was inaugurated in 1975 to mark the 80th birthday of David Higham, literary agent, and was awarded annually to a citizen of the Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland, Pakistan, or South Africa for a first novel or boo ...

and was chosen a book of the year by the ''

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it f ...

'', the ''Sunday Times'', and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Early life and education

He studied archaeology at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and later at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1996.

Career

Wright has a background in archaeology, history, linguistics, anthropology and comparative culture. He has written both fiction and non-fiction books dealing with anthropology and civilizations. Wright was selected to give the 2004

Massey Lectures The Massey Lectures is an annual five-part series of lectures given in Canada by distinguished writers, thinkers and scholars who explore important ideas and issues of contemporary interest. Created in 1961 in honour of Vincent Massey, the forme ...

. His contribution, ''

A Short History of Progress A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'', looks at the modern human predicament in light of the 10,000-year experiment with

civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...

. In it he concludes that human civilization, to survive, would need to become environmentally sustainable, with specific reference to

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

. His second book '' What is America?: A Short History of the New World Order'' continues the thread begun in ''A Short History of Progress'' by examining what Wright calls "the Columbian Age" and consequently the nature and historical origins of modern American

imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

. Wright traces the origins of the ideas behind ''A Short History of Progress'' to the material he studied while writing ''A Scientific Romance'' and his 2000 essay for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' titled "Civilization is a Pyramid Scheme" about the fall of the ninth-century Mayan civilization. His book ''The Gold Eaters was'' a novel set during the Spanish invasion of the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

in the 1520s–1540s, was published in 2015. His 1992 non-fiction book ''

'' was awarded the 1993 Gordon Montador Award from the

Writers' Trust of Canada The Writers' Trust of Canada (french: La Société d'encouragement aux écrivains du Canada) is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers. Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laure ...

and his 1997 novel ''A Scientific Romance'', about a museum curator who travels into the future and investigates the fate of the human race, won the

for first-time novelists. The novel, ''Henderson's Spear'', published in 2001, was about a jailed filmmaker piecing together her family history in Polynesia. Wright is a contributor to the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to '' The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', and has written and presented documentaries for radio and television on both sides of the Atlantic.

Bibliography

Novels

* * *

Non-fiction

* * * * * * *

Awards

* 1986 Canadian Science Writers' Association Award, for "The Lamanai Enigma" * 1990 Shortlist,

Trillium Book Award The Trillium Book Award (french: Prix littéraire Trillium or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is o ...

, for ''Time Among the Maya'' * 1991

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

Literary Award, for "Going to the Wall" * 1992 Nominated, Author of the Year, CBA Libris Award, for ''Stolen Continents'' * 1993 Gordon Montador Award, for ''Stolen Continents'' * 1995

Editor's Choice, for ''A Scientific Romance'' * 1996 Honorary Doctorate,

* 1997

for ''A Scientific Romance'' * 1998 ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' (UK) Book of the Year, for ''A Scientific Romance'' * 2005 Finalist, British Columbia Achievement Foundation Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, for ''A Short History of Progress'' * 2005 CBA Libris Award, "Non-Fiction Book of the Year," for ''A Short History of Progress''

Personal life

In 2004, Wright moved from Ontario to one of the

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

References

External links

Official Website
Ronald Wright
British Columbia Achievement Foundation Award biography of Ronald Wright
as a finalist for Canadian non-fiction in 2005
Massey Lecture: A Short History of Progress
, Ronald Wright, 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ronald 1948 births Living people Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian historians British emigrants to Canada