Ivan Doig (; June 27, 1939 – April 9, 2015) was an American author 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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

, widely known for his sixteen fiction and non-fiction books set mostly in his native

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

, celebrating the landscape and people of the post-war American West. With settings ranging from the

Rocky Mountain Front The Rocky Mountain Front is a somewhat unified geologic and ecosystem area in North America where the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains meet the plains. In 1983, the Bureau of Land Management called the Rocky Mountain Front "a nationally sign ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

's coast,

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' noted in 1987 that Doig wrote of "immigrant families, dedicated schoolteachers, miners, fur trappers, town builders" and of "the uncertainties of friendship and love, and colossal battles of will, set amid the vast unpredictabilities of a land noted for sudden deadly floods, agonizing droughts, blizzards and forest fires." Doig himself would later say "I come from the lariat proletariat, the working-class point of view." In particular, Doig "believed that ordinary people deserve to have their stories told"“Ivan Doig.” bookreporter.com, 2020. https://www.bookreporter.com/authors/ivan-doig. '' This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind'', Doig's 1977 memoir, was finalist for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The N ...

for Contemporary Thought. In 2007 Doig won the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

's Center of the American West's

Wallace Stegner Wallace Earle Stegner (February 18, 1909 – April 13, 1993) was an American novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian, often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Boo ...

Award. Doig's 2006 novel ''The Whistling Season'' became a

New York Times best-seller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States.John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

. He won the

Western Literature Association The Western Literature Association (WLA) is a non-profit, scholarly association that promotes the study of the diverse literature and cultures of the North American West, past and present. Since its founding, the WLA has served to publish scholar ...

's lifetime Distinguished Achievement award and held the distinction of the only living author with works of both fiction and non-fiction listed in the top 12 of the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

poll of best books of the 20th century. Doig's life and his works will be the focus of the upcoming documentary film by Nic Davis, "''Landscapes of a Western Mind".'' A trailer of the documentary was released in 2021. In 2006,

Sven Birkerts Sven Birkerts (born 21 September 1951) is an American essayist and literary critic. He is best known for his book ''The Gutenberg Elegies'' (1994), which posits a decline in reading due to the overwhelming advances of the Internet and other tec ...

described Doig as "a presiding figure in the literature of the American West."

Early life

Doig was born in

White Sulphur Springs, Montana White Sulphur Springs is a city in and the county seat of Meagher County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census. The center of population of Montana is located in White Sulphur Springs. White Sulphur Springs was or ...

to Charles "Charlie" Doig, ranch hand and Bernita Ringer Doig, ranch cook. After the death of his mother on his sixth birthday, he was raised by his father and his grandmother Elizabeth "Bessie" Ringer. Doig moved with his father and grandmother on a series of jobs, the ranch equivalent of

sharecropping Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

, subsequently moving to Dupuyer, Montana to herd sheep close to the

. As a child, Doig read comics, sports pages and magazines like Life, Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post. Doig graduated salutatorian in a class of 21 students from Valier High School in

Valier, Montana Valier is a town in Pondera County, Montana, United States. The population was 530 at the 2020 census. History The town was named for Peter Valier, who supervised construction of the Montana Western Railway's railroad line between Valier and C ...

. He won a full-tuition scholarship to

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1961 and a master's degree in journalism in 1962.Tate, Cassandra. Doig, Ivan (1939-2015), April 23, 2018. https://www.historylink.org/File/20546. His master's thesis was on the subject of televised congressional hearings on organized crime. He later earned a Ph.D. in American history at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

, writing his dissertation on

John J. McGilvra John J. McGilvra (July 11, 1827 – December 19, 1903) was a prominent lawyer and judge in late 19th century Seattle, Washington. Rev. Harvey K. Hines, D.D. in ''An Illustrated History of the State of Washington'' (1893) described him as "the old ...

(1827-1903). Important first-hand influences on his writing included his high school English and Latin teacher, Frances Tidyman; Sam Jamison, who taught him reporting at Northwestern; and Ben Baldwin, who taught him broadcast news. After he earned his degree in 1962, Doig was drafted into the Air Force Reserve. He was released from active duty in 1963. Doig lived with his wife Carol Doig, née Muller, a university professor of English, in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

until his death from

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, ane ...

in 2015. He was related to

Fully Informed Jury Association The Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) is a United States national jury education organization, incorporated in the state of Montana as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It works to educate citizens on their authority when they serve a ...

co-founder,

Don Doig Don Doig is the co-founder of the non-profit group Fully Informed Jury Association in Montana, which was set up to inform Americans about their rights as jurors as well as personal liberties. He was the national coordinator for the organization. ...

Career in writing

Before becoming a novelist, Doig wrote for newspapers and magazines as a free-lancer and worked for the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. Doig served as an editorial writer for the Lindsay-Schaub newspaper chain in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in ...

, and served as assistant editor of ''

The Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

'' magazine in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, Downtown Chicago, ...

. The western landscape and people play an important role in Doig's fiction, with much of it set in the

country of his youth. His major theme is family life in the past, mixing personal memory and regional history. The first three Montana novels—''English Creek'', ''Dancing at the Rascal Fair'', and ''Ride with Me, Mariah Montana'', form the "McCaskill trilogy", covering the first century of Montana statehood from 1889 to 1989.

Personal life

Ivan met his future wife, Carol Muller, at the

Medill School of Journalism The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...

Clarridge, Christine. “Award-Winning Author Ivan Doig Dies; Was 'Dean of Western Writers'.” The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company, April 9, 2015. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/award-winning-author-ivan-doig-dies-was-dean-of-western-writers/. while the two were students. They married on April 17, 1965.“Ivan Doig Archive - Biography and Bibliography.” Biography and Bibliography - Ivan Doig Archive , Montana State University. Montana State University. Accessed December 22, 2020. http://ivandoig.montana.edu/biography/. The two did not have any children. Carol assisted Ivan in writing and editing his booksMudge, Alden. “Author Interview - Ivan Doig, Author of The Eleventh Man.” BookPage.com, October 2008. https://bookpage.com/interviews/8116-ivan-doig-fiction. and was a longtime professor of journalism.

Later years

In 2001, Ivan was diagnosed with MGUS ( monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance). In 2006, he was diagnosed with “ smoldering myeloma,” which can remain dormant for years. In November, doctors told Ivan that his high levels of proteins meant that his myeloma was progressing. Ivan kept a detailed record of his medical journey in journals now held by Montana State University in the Ivan Doig archive.Wilkinson, Todd. “Terminal Diagnosis: How Montana Writer Ivan Doig Coped With His Own End.” Mountain Journal, October 5, 2019. https://mountainjournal.org/how--famous-montana-author-ivan-doig-faced-his-terminal-diagnosis. He died from multiple myeloma on April 9, 2015.

Ivan Doig Archive

In October 2015, Carol Doig donated her husband's extensive holding of notes, photos and records of his writing to the

Montana State University Library The Montana State University Library (MSU Library) is the academic library of Montana State University, Montana's land-grant university, in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It is the flagship library for all of the Montana State University System ...

Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections.

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...

was chosen over offers from Stanford University and the

based in part on the MSU Library's promise to digitize the entire collection in less than one year and make it available on a public website, as well as on MSU's proximity to Doig's childhood home and the encouragement of Montana authors

Rick Bass Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

Tom McGuane Thomas Francis McGuane III (born December 11, 1939) is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American A ...

and

Jamie Ford Jamie Ford (born July 9, 1968) is an American author. He is best known for his debut novel, ''Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.'' The book spent 130 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and was also awarded best "Adult Fiction" b ...

. The Ivan Doig Archive consists of manuscripts, proofs and galleys, typed and handwritten writing fragments, pocket notebooks, note cards, diaries, journals, photographs, audio/visual material, and memorabilia created or collected by Ivan Doig. The material has been sorted into twelve series based on subject and/or document type. Physical artifacts are preserved within Montana State University Library's Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections. This archive includes a collaboration with

Acoustic Atlas Acoustic Atlas is a repository of sound recordings from the Western United States, including sounds made by animals, ambient recordings of environments, and interviews related to the topic of natural sounds. The collection is hosted by the Monta ...

, the Soundscapes of Ivan Doig, with recordings and interviews from the lands and peoples featured in his novels.

Works

Novels

* ''The Sea Runners'' (1982) * ''English Creek'' (1984) * ''Dancing at the Rascal Fair'' (1987) * ''Ride with Me, Mariah Montana'' (1990) * ''Bucking the Sun'' (1996) * ''Mountain Time'' (1999) * ''Prairie Nocturne'' (2003) * ''The Whistling Season'' (2006) * ''The Eleventh Man'' (2008) * ''Work Song'' (2010) * ''The Bartender's Tale'' (2012) * ''Sweet Thunder'' (2013) * ''Last Bus to Wisdom'' (2015)

Nonfiction

* ''News: A Consumer's Guide'' (1972) - a media textbook coauthored by Carol Doig * ''This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind'' (1978) - memoirs based on the author's life with his father and grandmother (nominated for

) * ''Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America'' (1980) - an essayistic dialog with James G. Swan * ''Heart Earth'' (1993) - memoirs based on his mother's letters to her brother Wally

Edited volumes

*''Streets We Have Come Down: Literature of the City'' (1975) *''Utopian America: Dreams and Realities'' (1976)

Awards

* Finalist, National Book Award, ''This House of Sky'' (1979) *

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

, ''This House of Sky'' (1979) * Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award for Literary Excellence – 1979, 1981,1983, 1985, 1988, 1994, 2007 * Doctor of Letters,

(1984) *

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...

fellowship (1985) *

Western Heritage Award The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

, Best Western Novel, ''English Creek'' (1985) * Doctor of Letters,

Lewis and Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Cl ...

(1987) *

's Distinguished Achievement Award (1989) * Evans Biography Award ''Heart Earth'' (1993) * Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA) 'Spirit of the West' award (1997) * Pacific Northwest Writers Association Achievement Award (2002) * Center for the American West's Wallace Stegner Award (2007) * One Read book ''Whistling Season'' for

Daniel Boone Regional Library The Columbia Public Library is the public library of Columbia, Missouri, and was established as a tax-funded library in 1922. It is the headquarters of the Daniel Boone Regional Library system (DBRL), which serves Columbia and the surrounding area ...

, Missouri (2008) *

Willamette Writers Willamette Writers is a 501-c-3 nonprofit writing group based in the U.S. state of Oregon, with nearly 1,600 members, and chapters in Portland, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis, Central Point, and Newport. The group has a house (The Willamette Writers ...

' Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)

References

External links

Official websiteIvan Doig Archive at Montana State University1977 Early Forest Research Part 11977 Early Forest Research Part 2Long Interview with Ivan Doig on "The Whistling Season"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doig, Ivan 1939 births 2015 deaths Writers from Montana American memoirists American non-fiction outdoors writers 20th-century American novelists Medill School of Journalism alumni University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni People from White Sulphur Springs, Montana People from Pondera County, Montana 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Deaths from multiple myeloma Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers