Joan Clark
Encyclopedia
Joan Clark BA
, D.Litt (hon.)
(née MacDonald) (born 12 October 1934) is a Canadian
fiction
author
.
Born in Liverpool
, Nova Scotia
, Clark spent her youth in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
. She attended Acadia University
for its drama program, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with English major in 1957.http://admin.acadiau.ca/alumni/connections1.html She has worked as a teacher
Clark lived in Alberta
for two decades and attended Edmonton's University of Alberta
. She and Edna Alford
started the literary journal Dandelion in that province in the mid-1970s. She eventually returned to Atlantic Canada, settling in Newfoundland.
Clark served on the jury at the 2001 Giller Prize
.
Clark lives in St. John's
, Newfoundland and Labrador
. In 2010 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, D.Litt (hon.)
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
(née MacDonald) (born 12 October 1934) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Born in Liverpool
Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Liverpool is a Canadian community and former town located along the Atlantic Ocean of the Province of Nova Scotia's South Shore. It is situated within the Region of Queens Municipality which is the local governmental unit that comprises all of Queens County, Nova Scotia...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Clark spent her youth in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. She attended Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
for its drama program, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with English major in 1957.http://admin.acadiau.ca/alumni/connections1.html She has worked as a teacher
Clark lived in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
for two decades and attended Edmonton's University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. She and Edna Alford
Edna Alford
Edna Alford is a Canadian author and editor. As a writer she is known for the collections A Sleep Full of Dreams and The Garden of Eloise Loon. She has also won the Marian Engel Award and the Gerald Lampert Award...
started the literary journal Dandelion in that province in the mid-1970s. She eventually returned to Atlantic Canada, settling in Newfoundland.
Clark served on the jury at the 2001 Giller Prize
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
.
Clark lives in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. In 2010 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
Awards and recognition
- 1988: fiction finalist, Governor General's Awards1988 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
- 1988: finalist, Books in Canada First Novel AwardBooks in Canada First Novel AwardThe Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976....
, The Victory of Geraldine Gull - 1991: Marian Engel AwardMarian Engel AwardThe Marian Engel Award was a Canadian literary award, presented each year from 1986 to 2007 by the Writers' Trust of Canada in memory of the writer Marian Engel...
- 1995: Geoffrey Bilson AwardGeoffrey Bilson AwardThe Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers is a Canadian literary award that goes to the best work of historical fiction written for youth each year...
, The Dream Carvers - 1998: Honorary Doctor of LettersDoctor of LettersDoctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College - 1999: Vicky Metcalf AwardVicky Metcalf AwardThe Vicky Metcalf Award is awarded to a writer whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth." It is one of the top awards for Canadian children's writers. The award was named after Vicky Metcalf...
- 2003: Geoffrey Bilson AwardGeoffrey Bilson AwardThe Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers is a Canadian literary award that goes to the best work of historical fiction written for youth each year...
, The Word for Home - 2006: longlisted for the IMPAC Award, An Audience of Chairs
- 2010: Order of Canada
Books
- 1968: Girl of the Rockies
- 1971: Thomasina and the Trout Tree (Tundra) ISBN 0-912766-02-6
- 1977: The Hand of Robin SquiresThe Hand of Robin SquiresThe Hand of Robin Squires was first published in 1977 and is now available from Puffin Books. It is a historical adventure story that is linked to finds in the famous Money Pit on Oak Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. No one has solved the puzzle of the pit and the underground tunnels, but Joan...
(Clarke, Irwin) ISBN 0-7720-1091-9 (La main de Robin Squires: le mystere de l'ile aux Chenes, translated by Claude Aubry (P. Tisseyre, 1984) ISBN 2-89051-158-8)
-
- Penguin Canada paperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
editions: ISBN 0-14-031905-0, ISBN 0-14-301512-5 - other paperback editions: ISBN 0-7720-1311-X, ISBN 0-7736-7426-8
- 1982: From a High Thin Wire (NeWest) ISBN 0-920316-51-4
- 1985: Wild Man of the Woods (Viking Canada) ISBN 0-670-80015-5
- Penguin Canada paperback ISBN 0-14-031788-0
- 1987: The Moons of Madeleine (Viking Kestrel) ISBN 0-670-81284-6
- Penguin Canada paperback ISBN 0-14-032182-9
- 1988: The Victory of Geraldine Gull (Macmillan of Canada) ISBN 0-7715-9281-7
- 1990: Swimming Toward the Light (Macmillan of Canada) ISBN 0-7715-9975-7
- 1993: Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck (Macmillan of Canada) ISBN 0-7715-9009-1
- 1995: The Dream Carvers (Viking Canada) ISBN 0-670-85858-7 (Les sculpteurs de rêves, translated by Catherine Germain (P. Tisseyre, 2004) ISBN 2-89051-773-X)
- Penguin Canada paperback ISBN 0-14-038629-7
- 2000: Latitudes of Melt (Knopf Canada) ISBN 0-676-97288-8
- Vintage Canada paperback , ISBN 0-676-97291-8
- 2002: The Word for Home (Viking Canada) ISBN 0-670-91121-6
- 2005: An Audience of Chairs (Knopf Canada) ISBN 0-676-97655-7
- Penguin Canada paperback