Michael Redhill (born 12 June 1966) is an American-born Canadian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

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 ...

.Michael Redhill
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 ...

He also writes under the pseudonym Inger Ash Wolfe.

Early life and education

Redhill was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

and raised in the metropolitan

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 ...

area. He pursued one year of study at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

, and then returned to Canada, completing his education at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and sta ...

and the

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

Career

Redhill worked on the editorial board of Coach House Press from 1993 to 1996, and was the publisher of the Canadian literary magazine ''

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

'' from 2000 to 2009. In 2001 his novel '' Martin Sloane'' was shortlisted for the

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition b ...

. He won the Giller Prize in 2017 for his novel ''

Bellevue Square Bellevue Square is a shopping center in Bellevue, Washington. The mall has over 200 retail stores with anchors Macy's and Nordstrom. Bellevue Square also offers concierge services, valet parking, and a children's play area. It and the connectin ...

''. His newest poetry book, ''Twitch Force'', was published in 2019.

Work as Inger Ash Wolfe

In 2012, Redhill revealed that he is also the author of novels published under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Inger Ash Wolfe, described by the publishers of Wolfe's 2008 mystery as a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

for a "well-known and well-regarded North American literary novelist". The pseudonym was originally to be Inger Wolf until it was recognized that a Danish crime writer already uses that

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...

. As Wolfe, Redhill published his first mystery novel ''The Calling'' in 2008, released simultaneously in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. While the book received good reviews, speculation as to the author's real identity played a large role in many of them. Canadian reviewers suggested

Linda Spalding Linda Spalding (née Dickinson; June 25, 1943) is a Canadian writer and editor. Born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Jacob Alan Dickinson and Edith Senner, she lived in Mexico and Hawaii before moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1982. She has tw ...

, Michael Redhill,

Jane Urquhart Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...

and David Adams Richards, among others. American reviewers suggested

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, ...

, and

Farley Mowat Farley McGill Mowat, (May 12, 1921 – May 6, 2014) was a Canadian writer and environmentalist. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Can ...

. The second novel by Wolfe, ''The Taken,'' was published in 2010. The third, ''A Door in the River,'' was published in 2012. Each of the books features series detective Hazel Micallef. The fourth novel in the series, ''The Night Bell'', was published in 2015. In August 2014, a film version of ''The Calling'' was released, starring

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

as Hazel Micallef.

Publications

Poetry

* ''Music for Silence'' (self-published, 1985) * ''Temporary Captives'' (privately published, 1989) * ''Impromptu Feats of Balance'' (Don Mills, ON: Wolsak and Wynn, 1990) * ''Lake Nora Arms'' (Toronto: Coach House, 1993; reissued by House of Anansi, 2001) * ''Asphodel'' (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1997) * ''Light-Crossing'' (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2001) * ''Twitch Force'' (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2019)

Fiction

* '' Martin Sloane'' (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2001) * ''Fidelity'' (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2003) * ''Consolation'' (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2006)"'All art is failed art.' Michael Redhill on being comfortable with failure"
''CBC News'', Ryan B. Patrick · November 20, 2017 * ''

'' (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2017)

Fiction as Inger Ash Wolfe

* ''The Calling'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2008) * ''The Taken'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2010) * ''A Door in the River'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2012) * ''The Night Bell'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2015)

Drama

* ''Heretics'' (privately published, 1993) * ''Building Jerusalem'' (Toronto: Playwrights Union Canada, 2001) * ''Goodness'' (Toronto: Coach House, 2005)

Anthologies

* ''Discord of Flags'' (privately published, 1992) (co-editor) * ''Blues and True Conclusions'' (Toronto: House of Anansi, 1996) * ''Lost Classics'' (Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2000) (edited with

Esta Spalding Esta Alice Spalding is an American author, screenwriter and poet who won the Pat Lowther Award in 2000 for ''Lost August''. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Phillip Spalding and Linda Spalding, she grew up in Hawaii and currently resid ...

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller P ...

and

)

Awards

Building Jerusalem

*Winner of the

Dora Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...

, Best New Play, 2000 *Winner of the Chalmers Award, 2001 *Nominated for the

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 ...

for Drama, 2001

Martin Sloane

*Winner of the

Books in Canada First Novel Award The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident o ...

, 2001 *Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Canadian-Caribbean Region), 2002 *Nominated for the

, 2001 *Nominated for the

City of Toronto Book Award The Toronto Book Awards are Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city ...

, 2002 *Nominated for the

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 ...

, 2002 *Nominated for the Torgi/CNIB Award, 2002

Consolation

*Winner of the

, 2007 *Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, 2007

Bellevue Square

*Won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, 2017

Other awards

*The League of Canadian Poets National Poetry Contest, first prize, 1988 *Norma Epstein Award for poetry (

), 1990 *The E.J. Pratt Prize for poetry (University of Toronto), 1991 *The

Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award The Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award is a theater prize given annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. History The Award has presented by the Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation since 2004. In a formal agreement with the Fringe Society, it ...

, for ''Goodness'', 2006 *Scotsman Fringe First Award, (

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

), 2006

Personal life

Redhill has two sons and lives in Toronto. He had left in his bank account when he cashed the Giller Prize cheque for ''

''.

References

External links

Brick, A Literary Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redhill, Michael 1966 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian male novelists Canadian male short story writers Dora Mavor Moore Award winners University of Toronto alumni Canadian mystery writers Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners