Ernest Buckler (19 July 1908 – 4 March 1984) was 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 writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer best known for his 1952 novel, ''The Mountain and the Valley'' and the short story ''The first born Son''. "Since its publication in 1954, Ernest Buckler's story of David Canaan's life in the Annapolis Valley, ''The Mountain and the Valley'', has gradually established itself as a touchstone of Canadian Modernism. Its continuing presence in Canadian Literature courses and its effect on such writers as

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 ...

and

Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro (; ; born 10 July 1931) is a Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Munro's work has been described as revolutionizing the architecture of short stories, especially in its tendency to move f ...

attest to its power as a novel exploring imaginative experience." (Van Rys 1995) Buckler was born in the village of

West Dalhousie West Dalhousie is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County. It is named after George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie General George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, (23 October 1770 – 21 March 1838), ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse. He was a scholarship student at Dalhousie University (

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

, 1929), and a philosophy student at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

(

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, 1930). After graduation, he stayed in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, working as an actuary, until 1936, when he returned to rural Nova Scotia, eventually settling on a farm in Centrelea near

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

. In 1967, he was awarded the

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...

and in 1974, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. In 1978, he was awarded the Leacock Medal for ''Whirligig''.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' The Mountain and the Valley.''

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

: Henry Holt, 1952. * ''The Cruelest Month'', 1963.

Other works

* ''Ox Bells and Fireflies: A Memoir.''

: McClelland and Stewart, 1968; New York: Knopf, 1968. * ''

: Window on the Sea.'' Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1973. * ''The Rebellion of Young David and Other Stories.'' Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1975. * ''Whirligig.'' Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1977. * ''The Harness'' * ''The Locket'' * ''Penny in the Dust'', 1927. * ''The Clumsy One'' * ''The Bars and the Bridge'' * ''Long, Long After School''

References

* Lecker, Robert and Jack David. ''The Annotated Bibliography of Canada's Major Authors, volume III.'' * Van Rys, John C.. Diminishing Voice in Buckler's The Mountain and the Valley. Studies in Canadian Literature, .l. jan. 1995. ISSN 1718-7850.

External links

Ernest Buckler
at ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

''
Ernest Buckler
at ''

The Literary Encyclopedia ''The Literary Encyclopedia'' is an online reference work first published in October 2000. It was founded as an innovative project designed to bring the benefits of information technology to what at the time was still a largely conservative li ...

''
Ernest Buckler: A Remarkable Nova Scotia Novelist
at ''

Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management Nova Scotia Archives is a governmental archival institution serving the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The archives acquires, preserves and makes available the province's documentary heritage – recorded information of provincial significanc ...

'' * . Date accessed: 15 Feb. 2015. 1908 births 1984 deaths Writers from Nova Scotia Canadian male novelists University of Toronto alumni Officers of the Order of Canada Stephen Leacock Award winners 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers People from Annapolis County, Nova Scotia {{Canada-novelist-stub