Robert Lorin Calder , a Canadian writer and professor, won the

Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Litera ...

in 1989 for his ''Willie: The Life of W. Somerset Maugham'', a biography based on extensive archival work and interviews with surviving associates of Maugham, in particular

Alan Searle Alan Searle (1905-1985) became the private secretary and companion of W. Somerset Maugham following the death of Gerald Haxton in 1944. He took up residence at Maugham's villa in the Riviera and remained with him until Maugham's death in 1965. ...

. Unlike Ted Morgan, who had obtained permission from Maugham's executors to publish from Maugham's letters in his biography (1980), Calder was refused permission to do so by the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

and had to rely on paraphrase in referencing Maugham's unpublished correspondence. Born in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

on April 3, 1941, and growing up in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

, Calder studied at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

and the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

where he earned a PhD in Literature. In addition to winning the Governor General's Award, Calder also won a Saskatchewan Book Award for ''Beware the British Serpent: The Role of British Propaganda in the United States, 1939–1945 (2004)''.Iain Stewart. (1978) "Robert Lorin Calder" ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan�

/ref>

Works

*''W. Somerset Maugham and the Quest for Freedom'' (1972) *''The Dogs'' (1976) *''Saskatchewan Roughriders, Rider Pride: The Story of Canada’s Best-Loved Football Team'' (1984) *''Willie: The Life of W. Somerset Maugham'' (1989) *''A Richer Dust: Family, Memory and the Second World War'', (2004) *''Beware the British Serpent: The Role of British Propagana in the United States, 1939–1945'' (2004) *''A Hero For the Americas: The Legend of Gonzalo Guerrero''” (2017)

References

Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers Academics in Saskatchewan Canadian male non-fiction writers Living people People from Moose Jaw Writers from Saskatchewan Year of birth missing (living people) {{canada-writer-stub