Difference between revisions of "Rudy Wiebe"

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Rudy Wiebe (left) with Robert Kroetsch at the School of Writing

Who is Rudy Wiebe?

Rudy Wiebe is a writer and recipient of the Leslie K. Tarr Award. Rudy was born in 1934.

One of the best-known voices in Canadian fiction and a major figure in Canadian letters, Rudy Wiebe is the author of nine novels, four short story collections, and five non-fiction works. Wiebe’s writing has garnered numerous awards, including two Governor General's Literary Awards for A Discovery of Strangers (1994) and The Temptations of Big Bear (1973), which was made into a CBC television miniseries co-written by Wiebe and director Gil Cardinal. His books and stories are widely published internationally, and have been translated into nine European languages, as well as Chinese, Japanese, and Hindi.

Wiebe’s latest publications include: the biography Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman, which he co-authored with Yvonne Johnson; Sweeter Than All the World; a novel of the historical Mennonite diaspora; and the children's book Hidden Buffalo, based on a Cree creation legend and illustrated by Michael Lonechild. Rudy Wiebe is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Wiebe, said that his path as a writer was shaped as a student at the University of Alberta, where he had decided to write about Shakespeare. But his professor, F.M. Salter, took a dim view of the idea. He “challenged” him to write about his own experience.

“He told me that there were hundreds of people who could write about Shakespeare, but maybe I was the only one who could write a good novel about Mennonites,” Wiebe said, adding that the result was his ground-breaking book Peace Shall Destroy Many—the first English novel about Mennonites in Canada.

Wiebe went on to teach creative writing at the University of Alberta and to write 25 books. (source:Canadian Mennonite University)

Rudy Wiebe's Contributions

Rudy Wiebe newest book "OF THIS EARTH: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest" was published by Knopf Canada.

Rudy Wiebe's Awards

1. Grant MacEwan Author's Award 2007
2. Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, 2007. Click here to read all about it.
3. Lieutenant Governors Award for Lifetime Achievement 2007
4. Leslie K. Tarr Award for Career Achievement 2007
5. Shortlisted for Writer’s Trust of Canada – Nereus Non-Fiction Award 2007
6. Shortlisted for the City of Edmonton Book Prize 2007

Rudy Wiebe (right) receives the Leslie K. Tarr Award
from Earl Davey of Tyndale University College & Seminary

Articles About Rudy Wiebe

• Rudy Wiebe inspires at Write! Canada source:canadianchristianity.com
• Rudy Wiebe on YouTube
• Alberta Online Encyclopedia

Contact Rudy Wiebe