Are you considering moving to Canada to study? Discover the universities attended by these talented Canadian authors and be inspired by them.
Canada inspires creative writing. The northern country is home to a number of talented literary figures and authors whose works have been celebrated around the world for decades. Canadian literature has made an impact on the world, from old classics like Anne of Green Gables to newer works like Women Talking and The English Patient.
But who are the geniuses behind these incredible tales? More importantly, where did they study in Canada?
We look at some of Canada’s most talented writers and where they got their university degrees.
1. Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje is widely regarded as one of Canada’s most influential contemporary writers. Many Canadian schools and universities require students to read his novels and poetry. Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka but moved to Canada in 1962 and has remained ever since. The English Patient is his most well-known work. It’s a love story set in Italy during the Second World War. It not only won the Man Booker Prize, but it was also adapted into an award-winning film in 1996. In The Skin of a Lion, The Cat’s Table, and Anil’s Ghost were also written by Ondaatje. Ondaatje has also received Governor General’s Awards and the Giller Prize in addition to the Booker Prize. He is also an Order of Canada recipient. Prior to becoming the well-known author that he is today,
Education: Queen’s University
Ondaatje studied ag Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 1967. He’s one of the university’s most celebrated past students. Currently, he lives in Toronto.
2. Alice Munro
Alice Munro is one of the best Canadian authors of all time. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. She is known and respected as the master of the short story. Dear Life, Dance of the Happy Shades, The Lives of Girls and Women, Who Do You Think You Are, and The Love of a Good Woman are among her books. She was quoted as saying that she didn’t expect to win the Nobel Prize.
Education: Western University
As for her education, Munro studied English at Western University. She started at the university in 1949. She actually published her first-ever work at the university’s campus literary magazine called Folio. Munro is one of Western University’s most famous alumni.
3. Joseph Boyden
Joseph Boyden is a novelist and short-story writer from Canada. Boyden is best known for his writings on Native American culture. Three Day Road, Through The Black Spruce, and The Orenda are his best-known works. Boyden has won numerous literary awards in Canada during his writing career. Canada Reads, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, The Governor General’s Award for Fiction, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Fiction Book of the Year are a few examples. Boyden was raised in North York, Ontario.
Education: York University
He studied creative writing at York University where he was admired by a professor for his intensity and determination. He also has honorary degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University, Trent University, Nipissing University, and Algoma University.
4. Lucy Maud Montgomery
In 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery published Anne of Green Gables. It went on to become one of Canada’s most famous books. The story takes place in Prince Edward Island, Canada, where the author was born.
The story revolves around a redheaded, impulsive orphan growing up in a small eastern Canadian town. Despite being rejected by several publishers at first, the novel went on to sell over 50 million copies. It’s also been translated into 36 different languages.
It was recently adapted into a TV series called Anne With An E, which is available on Netflix.
Education: Dalhousie University
Lucy Maud Montgomery studied at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She started her studies there at age 21 in 1895. At the time, it wasn’t common for women to be seen on campus. During her time at Dalhousie, she argued that more women should seek a university education.
5. Miriam Toews
Women Talking, All My Puny Sorrows, and A Complicated Kindness are all best-sellers by Miriam Toews. Toews has won numerous literary awards in Canada. The Governor General’s Award for English-language Fiction, Canada Reads, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize are among her major honors. Women Talking is a fictional story about a Mennonite colony in Bolivia. It was a best-seller and was nominated for a Governor General’s Award. Toews currently resides in Toronto.
Education: University of Manitoba
She earned her first degree at the University of Manitoba where she studied film studies and earned a bachelor of arts degree.