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 other ...

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

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, 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 signi ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

's coast,

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' 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 (NBA) 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. ...

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: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

's Center of the American West's

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

Award. Doig's 2006 novel ''The Whistling Season'' became a New York Times best-seller. 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 schola ...

'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 M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

poll of best books of the 20th century. Doig's life and his works are the focus of the documentary film by Montana PBS and 4:08 productions, ''Ivan Doig: Landscapes of a Western Mind''. 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, Meagher County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History White Sulphur Springs was originally called ...

to Charles "Charlie" Doig, ranch hand and Berneta Ringer Doig. After the death of his mother on his sixth birthday, he was raised briefly (1947 - 1949) by his father and his father's second wife, Fern White, who had been hired as a ranch cook, and later by his father and his maternal 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 in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...

, subsequently moving to

Dupuyer, Montana Dupuyer () is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Pondera County, Montana, United States. Its population was 86 as of the 2010 census. The community is located along U.S. Route 89 and Dupuyer Creek. Dupuyer has a post offic ...

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. He won a full-tuition scholarship to

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, 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 and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, writing his dissertation on John J. McGilvra (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 the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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 antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

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 as ...

co-founder, Don Doig.

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 within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

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

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, and served as assistant editor of ''

The Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and pe ...

'' magazine in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. 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 (branded as Northwestern Medill; formally the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications) is the journalism school of Northwestern University. It offers both undergraduate and graduat ...

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 Smouldering myeloma is a disease classified as intermediate in a spectrum of step-wise progressive diseases termed plasma cell dyscrasias. In this spectrum of diseases, a clone of plasma cells secreting monoclonal paraprotein (also termed 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 University System, Mont ...

Merrill G. Burlingame Merrill G. Burlingame (March 13, 1901 – November 14, 1994) was a history professor at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana who specialized in Montana history and the history of the American West. He was instrumental in the founding of ...

Special Collections. Montana State University was chosen over offers from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

and the University of Washington based in part on the MSU Library's promise to digitize the entire collection in less than one year, as well as on MSU's proximity to Doig's childhood home and the encouragement of Montana authors

Rick Bass Rick Bass (born March 7, 1958) is an American writer and an environmental activist. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geology with a focus in Wildlife from Utah State University. Right after he graduated, he interned for one year as a Wildlife Bio ...

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 digital collection
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 physical collection is preserved within Montana State University Library's Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections. The digital collection is available online. This library 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 ...

, ''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,

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

(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 feder ...

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 Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

, 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. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adja ...

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

, Missouri (2008) * Willamette Writers' Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)

References

External links

Ivan Doig Archive at Montana State UniversityIvandoig.com web archive at Archive-It1977 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 in the United States 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