Books – Biography
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Lives Lived, Lives Imagined
Landscapes of Resilience in the Works of Miriam Toews
A celebration of fiction’s ability to brave oppression.
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No Man’s Land
The Life and Art of Mary Riter Hamilton
A life embracing new opportunities for women at the beginning of the twentieth century.
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Pauline Boutal
An Artist’s Destiny, 1894-1992
A rich artistic talent beautifully presented in this full-colour study.
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Apostate Englishman
Grey Owl the Writer and the Myths
A critical assessment of Archie Belaney seen through his writings as Grey Owl.
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The Showman and the Ukrainian Cause
Folk Dance, Film, and the Life of Vasile Avramenko
The colourful life of a charismatic champion of Ukrainian independence.
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The Constructed Mennonite
History, Memory, and the Second World War
One man, four identities, and a son’s quest to reconcile the public and private histories of his Mennonite father in WWII.
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Lord Selkirk
A Life
Thomas Douglas, the Fifth Earl of Selkirk (1770–1820), was a complex man of his times, whose passions left an indelible mark on Canadian history. The product of three decades of research, this is the definitive biography of Lord Selkirk. Bumsted’s passionate prose and thoughtful analysis illuminate not only the man, but also the political and economic realities of the British empire at the turn of the nineteenth century.
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A Great Restlessness
The Life and Politics of Dorise Nielsen
Dorise Nielsen was a pioneering feminist, a radical politician, the first Communist elected to Canada’s House of Commons, and the only woman elected in 1940. But despite her remarkable career, until now little has been known about her.
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The Force of Vocation
The Literary Career of Adele Wiseman
Adele Wiseman was a seminal figure in Canadian letters. Always independent and wilful, she charted her own literary career, based on her unfailing belief in her artistic vision. In The Force of Vocation, the first book on Wisemanís writing life, Ruth Panofsky presents Wiseman as a writer who doggedly and ambitiously perfected her craft, sought a wide audience for her work, and refused to compromise her work for marketability.
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Travelling Passions
The Hidden Life of Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson has long been known for his groundbreaking work as an anthropologist and expert on Arctic peoples. His three expeditions to the Canadian Arctic in the early 1900s, as well as his expertise in northern anthropology, helped create his public image as an heroic, Hemingway-esque figure in the annals of twentieth-century exploration. Travelling Passions sheds new light on Stefanssonís life and work, focussing on the tension between his private life and the theories that brought his name to the halls of fame.