Richard Bruce Wright (March 4, 1937 – February 7, 2017) was a Canadian novelist. He was known for his break-through 2001 novel ''

Clara Callan ''Clara Callan'' is a novel by Canadian writer Richard B. Wright, published in 2001. It is the story of a woman in her thirties living in Ontario during the 1930s and is written in epistolary form, utilizing letters and journal entries to tell ...

,'' which won three major literary awards in Canada: The

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) 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 co ...

, the

Trillium Book Award The Trillium Book Award ( or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency (Ontario), Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is overseen by ...

, and 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 the ...

Early life and education

Wright was born in Midland,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, to Laverne and Laura (née Thomas). Wright graduated from high school in Midland in 1956, and attended and graduated from

Ryerson Polytechnic Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

in the area of radio and TV arts in 1959. He worked briefly within local newspapers and radio stations as a copywriter before becoming an assistant editor for

Macmillan Canada Macmillan of Canada was a Canadian publishing house. The company was founded in 1905 as the Canadian arm of the English publisher Macmillan. At that time it was known as the "Macmillan Company of Canada Ltd." In the course of its existence the ...

in 1960.

Career

Debut and success

Wright married Phyllis Wright (née Cotton) in 1966 and they have two sons, Christopher Stephen and Richard Andrew. During Wright's time at Macmillan, he published his first book, a children's book entitled ''Andrew Tolliver'' (later retitled ''One John A. Too Many''). Wright's first full-length novel, ''The Weekend Man,'' was written in eighteen months while staying at his wife's family cottage in Quebec. The novel became a critical success, winning praise for Wright's versatility and ability to create believable female characters. In 1970, Wright returned to postsecondary education at

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Founded in 1964, the university is known for its Oxbridge college system, sma ...

, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. in English. In 1976, he obtained a position at

Ridley College Ridley College may refer to * Ridley College (Melbourne), Victoria, Australia * Ridley College (Ontario), Canada See also * Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK * * Ridley (disambiguation) {{schooldis ...

, a private school, where he taught English until his retirement.

Later career

Although nominated for several literary awards, Wright didn't gain recognition until 2001 when his novel ''Clara Callan'' won both the Giller Prize and Governor-General's Award. This led to the republication of many of his earlier works. This novel went on to win three of Canada's major literary awards: The

, the

, and the

. Wright's published works deal with the lives of ordinary people, with a profound balance of depth and sensitivity. Wright had been praised as an author who created believable characters with a voice that must be heard. The reviewer in ''

The Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'' is just one of many who have praised Wright's work, stating that his most recent book, ''Mr.Shakespeare's Bastard,'' is "A masterful novel …

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

confirms his ability to evoke an authentically female sensibility." The novel has continued to gain recognition and was described by ''The Winnipeg Free Press'' as a novel that "Draws us swiftly through the pages..." Wright provides a narrative of pure life to his settings and character backgrounds that have continued to give him wide recognition as a Canadian novelist. His novels have been, and continue to be, published all around the world. In 2006, Wright received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Trent University, and in 2007 he became a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Later life and death

He lived in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

, Ontario, where he wrote full-time and enjoyed the recreational pastimes of walking, reading and music. Wright died in hospital on the morning of February 7, 2017 as a result of a stroke. He was 79.

Awards and nominations

* Toronto Book Award 1973 (''In the Middle of a Life'') * Faber Memorial Prize UK 1975 (''In the Middle of a Life'') * Nom.

1995 (''The Age of Longing'') * Nom.

1995 (''The Age of Longing'') * Governor General's Award 2001 (''Clara Callan'') * Giller Prize 2001 (''Clara Callan'') *

2001 (''Clara Callan'') * Honorary Doctor of Letters 2006 (Trent University) * Member of The Order Of Canada 2007

Bibliography

* ''Andrew Tolliver'' (1965) – later retitled ''One John A. Too Many'' * ''The Weekend Man'' (1970) * ''In the Middle of a Life'' (1973) * ''Farthing's Fortunes'' (1976) * ''Final Things'' (1980) * ''The Teacher's Daughter'' (1982) * ''Tourists'' (1984) * ''One John A. Too Many'' (1984) * ''Sunset Manor'' (1990) * '' The Age of Longing'' (1995) * ''

'' (2001) * ''Adultery'' (2004) * ''October'' (2007) * ''Mr. Shakespeare's Bastard'' (2010) * ''A Life With Words: A Writer's Memoir'' on-fiction(2015) *'' Nightfall'' (2016)

References

External links

Richard B. Wright's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Richard B. 1937 births 2017 deaths Canadian male novelists Governor General's Award–winning fiction writers Members of the Order of Canada People from Midland, Ontario Trent University alumni 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Ridley College alumni Writers from Simcoe County Novelists from Ontario