Don LePan
Encyclopedia
Don LePan is widely known as a book publisher; he is the founder and president of the academic publishing house Broadview Press
. He is also a painter and the author or editor of several books, most notably the dystopian novel Animals.
, living variously in Ottawa
, Kingston
, and Toronto
. He received a BA in English Literature from Carleton University
in Ottawa and an MA in Renaissance Studies from the University of Sussex
, where he studied under A.D. Nuttall
; his research on Shakespeare’s plots became the basis for a monograph (The Birth of Expectation). He worked for some years in the 1970s and 1980s for the Canadian branch of Oxford University Press
(where he was manager of the College Department from 1979-1982), and from 1982-1985 as a secondary school teacher in rural Zimbabwe
with the development agency WUSC. In 1985 he returned to Canada to found Broadview Press, a book publisher in the humanities and social sciences. By 2010 Broadview had grown to a company with annual revenues of over $3 million and a staff of 25. Though modest in size, the publishing house is held in high regard, particularly as a publisher of anthologies and literary editions; in 2004 LePan was awarded an honorary doctorate by Trent University
in Peterborough
, Ontario for his contribution to academic publishing.
LePan’s father, Douglas LePan
, was well-known as a poet and academic; his brother, Nicholas Le Pan, is well-known as a Canadian civil servant (he is a former head of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions).
of today. The novel was published in 2009 in Canada and in 2010 in the USA, to sparse but generally favorable newspaper reviews —and to widely diverging reactions elsewhere. Notably enthusiastic were reviews in the University of Toronto Quarterly ("If you read nothing else from this year's batch of novels, ... read Animals". Few Canadian novels have been as powerful"); and on Amazon by Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature (“as gripping as it is important, LePan’s brilliant first novel tackles the largest moral issue of our time”), and Paul Keen, Chair of the English Department at Carleton University (“a major addition to Canadian literature”). Others, however, have criticized the work as being “didactic” or “preachy.” On his blog LePan has defended the notion that the aesthetic and moral need not be regarded as mutually exclusive—in his words, “it should not be assumed that a work that tries to do good cannot also be good.”
The Broadview Guide to Writing (co-author). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 5/e edition 2009. ISBN 97815511109700
The Broadview Anthology of British Literature (co-edited). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1/e 2006 (six volumes).
The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose (co-edited). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2/e edition 2011. ISBN 9781551110376
Animals: A Novel. Montreal: Véhicule Press
, 2009. ISBN 1593762771. Berkeley: Soft Skull Press, 2010. ISBN 1593762771
Broadview Press
Broadview Press is an independent academic publisher that focuses on the humanities. Founded in 1985 by Don LePan, the company now employs over 25 people, has over 500 titles in print, and publishes approximately 50 titles each year...
. He is also a painter and the author or editor of several books, most notably the dystopian novel Animals.
Biography
LePan grew up in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, living variously in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He received a BA in English Literature from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in Ottawa and an MA in Renaissance Studies from the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, where he studied under A.D. Nuttall
Anthony Nuttall
Anthony David Nuttall was an English literary critic and academic.Nuttall was educated at Hereford Cathedral School, Watford Grammar School for Boys and Merton College, Oxford,where he studied both Classical Moderations and English Literature...
; his research on Shakespeare’s plots became the basis for a monograph (The Birth of Expectation). He worked for some years in the 1970s and 1980s for the Canadian branch of Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
(where he was manager of the College Department from 1979-1982), and from 1982-1985 as a secondary school teacher in rural Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
with the development agency WUSC. In 1985 he returned to Canada to found Broadview Press, a book publisher in the humanities and social sciences. By 2010 Broadview had grown to a company with annual revenues of over $3 million and a staff of 25. Though modest in size, the publishing house is held in high regard, particularly as a publisher of anthologies and literary editions; in 2004 LePan was awarded an honorary doctorate by Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
in Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Ontario for his contribution to academic publishing.
LePan’s father, Douglas LePan
Douglas LePan
Douglas Valentine LePan, OC, FRSC was a Canadian diplomat, poet, novelist and professor of literature.Born in Toronto, Ontario, LePan was educated at the University of Toronto, at Harvard , and at Merton College, Oxford University...
, was well-known as a poet and academic; his brother, Nicholas Le Pan, is well-known as a Canadian civil servant (he is a former head of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions).
Animals: A Novel
LePan’s Animals: A Novel is set in an indeterminate future in which virtually all the species that humans have used as food have become extinct; it tells the story of a “mongrel” child who is twice abandoned and then comes face to face with the equivalent in this future world of the factory farmingFactory farming
Factory farming is a term referring to the process of raising livestock in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory — a practice typical in industrial farming by agribusinesses. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption...
of today. The novel was published in 2009 in Canada and in 2010 in the USA, to sparse but generally favorable newspaper reviews —and to widely diverging reactions elsewhere. Notably enthusiastic were reviews in the University of Toronto Quarterly ("If you read nothing else from this year's batch of novels, ... read Animals". Few Canadian novels have been as powerful"); and on Amazon by Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature (“as gripping as it is important, LePan’s brilliant first novel tackles the largest moral issue of our time”), and Paul Keen, Chair of the English Department at Carleton University (“a major addition to Canadian literature”). Others, however, have criticized the work as being “didactic” or “preachy.” On his blog LePan has defended the notion that the aesthetic and moral need not be regarded as mutually exclusive—in his words, “it should not be assumed that a work that tries to do good cannot also be good.”
Selected works
The Birth of Expectation. Macmillan Press, 1989. Paperback published by Broadview Press, 1996 (The Cognitive Revolution in Western Culture). ISBN 9781551110813The Broadview Guide to Writing (co-author). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 5/e edition 2009. ISBN 97815511109700
The Broadview Anthology of British Literature (co-edited). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1/e 2006 (six volumes).
The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose (co-edited). Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2/e edition 2011. ISBN 9781551110376
Animals: A Novel. Montreal: Véhicule Press
Véhicule Press
Since 1973, Véhicule Press has published poetry, fiction, translations, and social history by Canadian authors, with a commitment to publishing first-time authors—a third of its list....
, 2009. ISBN 1593762771. Berkeley: Soft Skull Press, 2010. ISBN 1593762771