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 writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

. He was born in

Roanoke Rapids Roanoke Rapids () is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,754 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is also an anchor city of the Rocky Mou ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

in the United States. Educated at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

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

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. 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 t ...

in 1989. In 2002, Rooke championed ''

The Stone Angel ''The Stone Angel'' is a novel by 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 parall ...

'' 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 Frenc ...

''. 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 (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 ...

Bibliography

Approximately 350 short stories published; *''Last One Home Sleeps in the Yellow Bed'' — 1968 *''Vault'' — 1973 *''Krokodile'' — 1973 *''Sword/Play'' — 1974 *''The Love Parlour'' — 1977 *''The Broad Back of the Angel'' — 1977 *''Cry Evil'' — 1980 *''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 th ...

) *''Death Suite'' — 1981 *''The Magician in Love'' — 1981 *''The Birth Control King of the Upper Volta'' — 1982 *''

Shakespeare's Dog ''Shakespeare's Dog'' is a 1983 novel by Canadian writer Leon Rooke. The novel tells the story of William Shakespeare's early career, including his aspirations to break through to popular success as a writer and his courtship and eventual marria ...

'' — 1983 (winner of the 1983 Governor General's Award for Fiction) *''A Bolt of White Cloth'' — 1984 *''Sing Me No Love Songs, I'll Say You No Prayers'' — 1984 *''A Good Baby'' — 1989 *''Daddy Stump'' — 1991 *''How I Saved the Province'' — 1989 *''The Happiness of Others'' — 1991 *''Who Do You Love'' — 1992 *''The Boy from Moogradi and the Woman with the Map to Kolooltopec'' — 1993 *''Muffins'' — 1995 *''Narcissus in the Mirror'' — 1995 *''Oh, No, I Have Not Seen Molly'' — 1996 *''Art. Three Fictions in Prose'' — 1997 *''Oh! Twenty-Seven Stories'' — 1997 *''Who Goes There'' — 1998 *''The Fall of Gravity'' — 2000 *''Painting the Dog: Selected Stories'' — 2001 *''Balduchi's Who's Who'' — 2005 *''Hot Poppies'' — 2005 *''The Beautiful Wife'' — 2005 *''Hitting the Charts: Selected Stories'' — 2006 *''The Last Shot: Eleven Stories and a Novella'' — 2009 *''The April Poems'' — 2013 *''Swinging Through Dixie'' — 2016 *''Fantastic Fiction and Peculiar Practices'' — 2016

References

External links

*
Leon Rooke's
entry in

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 ...

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