Rosemary Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Rosemary Sullivan is a Canadian poet
, biographer, and anthologist.
Sullivan was born in the small town of Valois on Lac St. Louis, which is located just outside of Montreal
, Quebec
. After graduating from St. Thomas high school, she attended McGill University
on a scholarship, and earned her Bachelors degree in 1968. After she was married in 1968, she then attended the University of Connecticut where she earned her M.A. in 1969. Finally Sullivan attended the University of Sussex earning her PHD for her thesis The Garden Master: The Poetry of Theodore Roethke in 1972.
After completing her post secondary education, Sullivan moved to France
to teach at the university of Dijon, and later at the University of Bordeaux. Two years later she was hired at the University of Victoria, and then in 1977 at the University of Toronto
, where she has taught ever since. In 1978 Sullivan decided to dedicate herself to her writing, while still teaching at the University of Toronto
Rosemary Sullivan is a celebrated critic, editor, poet, and biographer. She writes "wisely and sensibly and well." Her first collection of poetry The Space a Name Makes, was awarded the Gerald Lampert Award for best first book of poetry published in Canada in 1968. In 1987 Sullivan began writing a biography on Elizabeth Smart, titled By Heart, which was later published in 1991 by Penguin Books. Sullivan soon realized she had a passion for biographies, and in 1995 Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen was published. Shadow Maker won numerous awards, including the Governor Generals Award for Non-Fiction, the Canadian Authors’ Association Award for Non-fiction, the President’s medal for Biography, University of British Columbia, and the City of Toronto Book award. Then in 1998, The Red Shoes: Margaret Atwood Starting Out was published.
Aside from her writing career, Sullivan has been working with Amnesty International
since 1979, and in 1980 founded a congress to aid Amnesty International
. Sullivan has also traveled all over the world including Russia
, Czechoslovakia
, Cuba
, Chile
, and Nicaragua
.
Sullivan's first collection of poetry, The Space a Name Makes (1986), was awarded the Gerald Lampert Award
. Her biography of Gwendolyn MacEwen
, Shadow Maker (1995), won the Governor General's Award
.
Sullivan teaches at the University of Toronto
.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, biographer, and anthologist.
Sullivan was born in the small town of Valois on Lac St. Louis, which is located just outside of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. After graduating from St. Thomas high school, she attended McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
on a scholarship, and earned her Bachelors degree in 1968. After she was married in 1968, she then attended the University of Connecticut where she earned her M.A. in 1969. Finally Sullivan attended the University of Sussex earning her PHD for her thesis The Garden Master: The Poetry of Theodore Roethke in 1972.
After completing her post secondary education, Sullivan moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to teach at the university of Dijon, and later at the University of Bordeaux. Two years later she was hired at the University of Victoria, and then in 1977 at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, where she has taught ever since. In 1978 Sullivan decided to dedicate herself to her writing, while still teaching at the University of Toronto
Rosemary Sullivan is a celebrated critic, editor, poet, and biographer. She writes "wisely and sensibly and well." Her first collection of poetry The Space a Name Makes, was awarded the Gerald Lampert Award for best first book of poetry published in Canada in 1968. In 1987 Sullivan began writing a biography on Elizabeth Smart, titled By Heart, which was later published in 1991 by Penguin Books. Sullivan soon realized she had a passion for biographies, and in 1995 Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen was published. Shadow Maker won numerous awards, including the Governor Generals Award for Non-Fiction, the Canadian Authors’ Association Award for Non-fiction, the President’s medal for Biography, University of British Columbia, and the City of Toronto Book award. Then in 1998, The Red Shoes: Margaret Atwood Starting Out was published.
Aside from her writing career, Sullivan has been working with Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
since 1979, and in 1980 founded a congress to aid Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. Sullivan has also traveled all over the world including Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Sullivan's first collection of poetry, The Space a Name Makes (1986), was awarded the Gerald Lampert Award
Gerald Lampert Award
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert...
. Her biography of Gwendolyn MacEwen
Gwendolyn MacEwen
Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen was a Canadian poet and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt and magic itself, and from her wonderment at...
, Shadow Maker (1995), won the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
.
Sullivan teaches at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Biography
- By Heart: Elizabeth Smart, a Life - 1991
- Shadow Maker: The Life of Gwendolyn MacEwen - 1995
- The Red Shoes": Margaret Atwood Starting Out - 1998
Non-fiction
- Labyrinth of Desire: Women, Passion, and Romantic Obsession - 2001
- Cuba: Grace Under Pressure - 2003
- Villa Air-Bel: World War II, Escape, and a House in Marseille - 2006
Anthologies
- Elements of Fiction - 1982 (co-editor)
- Stories by Canadian Women - 1984
- Poetry in English: An Anthology - 1987
- Poetry by Canadian Women - 1989
- Oxford Book of Stories by Canadian Women in English - 2000