List of Canadian writers
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (January 2008) |
This is a list of Canadian literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars. Writers are only to be listed here if they already have a Wikipedia article. Dead links will be removed
A
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Acorn | 1923-1986 | poet | The Island Means Minago |
| Ken Adachi | 1929-1989 | historian, critic | The Enemy That Never Was |
| Ian Adams | b. 1937 | novelist, non-fiction | Agent of Influence |
| Charlotte Vale Allen (also known as Katherine Marlowe) | b. 1941 | romantic novels, expert on child abuse | |
| Grant Allen | 1848-1899 | science writer, novelist | The Woman Who Did |
| Sidney Allinson | b. 1930 | historian, historical fiction | |
| George Amabile | b. 1936 | poet | |
| Patrick Anderson | b. 1915 | poet | |
| Rod Anderson | b. 1935 | poet, accounting texts | |
| Gordon Stewart Anderson | 1958-1991 | novelist | The Toronto You Are Leaving |
| Gail Anderson-Dargatz | b. 1963 | novelist | The Cure for Death by Lightning |
| Lisa Appignanesi | b. 1946 | novelist, biographer | Losing the Dead: A Family Memoir |
| Hubert Aquin | 1929-1977 | novelist | Prochain épisode |
| Gilles Archambault | b. 1933 | novelist | L'obsédante obèse et autres aggressions |
| Nelly Arcan | b. 1973 | novelist | Putain |
| Jeannette Armstrong | b. 1948 | novelist, poet | Slash |
| Kelley Armstrong | b. 1968 | horror fiction | Women of the Otherworld |
| David Arnason | b. 1940 | poet, novelist, historian | The Imagined City: A Literary History of Winnipeg |
| Joanne Arnott | b. 1960 | poet, children's literature | Wiles of Girlhood |
| Margaret Atwood | b. 1939 | novelist, poet, critic | The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, Surfacing |
| Phillipe-Ignace Francois Aubert du Gaspe | 1814-1841 | novelist | L'influence d'un livre |
| Martin Avery | b. 1955 | poet, short story writer, novelist, sports biographer | |
| Margaret Avison | 1918-2007 | poet | The Winter Sun, Concrete and Wild Carrot |
B
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Babstock | poet | Mean, Airstream Land Yacht | |
| R. Scott Bakker | b. 1967 | fantasy | Prince of Nothing |
| Himani Bannerji | b. 1942 | poet, academic | Dark Side of the Nation: Essays on Multiculturalism, Nationalism and Racism |
| Bruce Barber | art critic | Voices of Fire: Art Rage, Power, and the State | |
| Gary Barwin | b. 1964 | novelist, children's literature | Seeing Stars |
| Bill Bauer | poet | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | |
| Nancy Bauer | b. 1934 | arts journalist | Flora, Write This Down |
| Kevin Bazzana | music historian | Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould | |
| Doug Beardsley | b. 1941 | poet | Dancing Star |
| D. Y. Béchard | novelist | Vandal Love | |
| Henry Beissel | b. 1929 | poet, translator | Under Coyote's Eye |
| Ken Belford | b. 1946 | poet | Pathways into the Mountains |
| William E. Bell | b. 1945 | children's literature | Forbidden City |
| Nigel Bennett | b. 1949 | fantasy | Keeper of the King, His Father's Son |
| Pierre Berton | 1920-2004 | historian, journalist | The National Dream, The Last Spike |
| Dennison Berwick | b. 1956 | travel writer | Savages, the Life & Killing of the Yanomami |
| Gérard Bessette | 1920-2005 | novelist | Le libraire, Le Cycle |
| Navtej Bharati | poet | Leela | |
| Dave Bidini | non-fiction, songwriter | Around the World in 57½ Gigs, Tropic of Hockey | |
| Sandra Birdsell | b. 1942 | novelist, short story writer | The Rüsslander, The Two-Headed Calf |
| Earle Birney | 1904-1995 | poet, novelist, short stories, drama | David and Other Poems, Turvey |
| bill bissett | b. 1939 | experimental poet | nobody owns th earth |
| Lise Bissonnette | b. 1945 | novelist, journalist | Marie suivait l'été, Choses crus |
| Neil Bissoondath | b. 1955 | novelist | A Casual Brutality, Selling Illusions |
| Marie-Claire Blais | b. 1939 | novelist | Une Saison dans la vie d'Emmanuel |
| Clark Blaise | b. 1940 | novelist, short stories | Lunar Attractions |
| Dennis Bock | novelist | The Ash Garden | |
| Christian Bök | b. 1966 | poet | Eunoia |
| Stephanie Bolster | poet | White Stone: The Alice Poems | |
| Roo Borson | b. 1952 | poet | Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida |
| Hédi Bouraoui | b. 1932 | poet, novelist | Vésuviade, La Femme d'entre les lignes |
| George Bowering | b. 1935 | novelist, poet | The Gangs of Kosmos, Burning Water |
| Marilyn Bowering | b. 1949 | poet, novelist | Visible Worlds, Autobiography |
| David Boyd | children's literature | Bottom Drawer | |
| George Boyd | dramatist | Consecrated Ground | |
| Harry J. Boyle | 1915-2005 | humorist | Homebrew and Patches, Luck of the Irish |
| Karleen Bradford | b. 1936 | children's literature | There Will Be Wolves |
| Max Braithwaite | 1911-1995 | novelist, non-fiction | The Night We Stole the Mountie's Car |
| Shannon Bramer | b. 1973 | poet | The Refrigerator Memory |
| Dionne Brand | b. 1953 | poet, novelist | What We All Long For, Land to Light On |
| Di Brandt | b. 1952 | poet, literary critic | Jerusalem, beloved, Now You Care |
| Jacques Brault | b. 1933 | poet, translator | Quand nous serons heureux, Il n'y a plus de chemin |
| Nathan Braun | academic | Good News for All Creation (co-author), The History and Philosophy of Marriage (4th ed., editor) | |
| Brian Brett | b. 1950 | novelist, memoirist | Uproar's Your Only Music, The Fungus Garden |
| Robert Bringhurst | b. 1946 | poet, author, and typographer | The Beauty of the Weapons: Selected Poems 1972–82, Ursa Major |
| David Bromige | b. 1944 | poet | My Poetry |
| Barry Broadfoot | 1926-2003 | historian | Six War Years, The Immigrant Years |
| Bertram Brooker | 1888-1955 | poet, advertising | Subconscious Selling |
| Nicole Brossard | b. 1943 | poet | Double impression, Méchanique jongleuse |
| Sigmund Brouwer | b. 1959 | children's literature | Watch Out for Joel! |
| Nick Brune | b. 1952 | historian | Defining Canada: History, Identity, and Culture |
| Ernest Buckler | 1908-1984 | novelist | The Mountain and the Valley |
| Robert Budde | b. 1966 | poet, novelist | Finding Fort George |
| Margaret Buffie | children's literature | The Dark Garden, The Finder | |
| Bonnie Burnard | b. 1945 | novelist | A Good House |
| Mick Burrs | poet | Variations on the Birth of Jacob | |
| Sharon Butala | b. 1940 | novelist | The Perfection of the Morning |
C
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Callaghan | b. 1937 | novelist and journalist | |
| Morley Callaghan | 1903-1990 | novelist, short stories | A Fine and Private Place |
| Anne Cameron | novelist, poet, short story writer | Daughters of Copper Woman | |
| Elspeth Cameron | b. 1943 | biographer | |
| Silver Donald Cameron | b. 1937 | ||
| Natalee Caple | |||
| Bliss Carman | 1861-1929 | poet | Low Tide on Grand Pre |
| David Carpenter | |||
| Roch Carrier | b. 1937 | novelist, short stories | La Guerre, Yes Sir!, Le chandail |
| Anne Carson | b. 1950 | poet | Autobiography of Red |
| Gillian Chan | |||
| Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix | 1682-1761 | historian | |
| Chris Chambers | |||
| Denise Chong | memoirist | The Concubine's Children | |
| Wayson Choy | b. 1939 | novelist | The Jade Peony, All That Matters |
| Lesley Choyce | b. 1951 | ||
| Greg Clark | 1892-1977 | humorist | |
| Austin Clarke | b. 1934 | novelist | The Polished Hoe |
| George Elliott Clarke | b. 1960 | poet, novelist, dramatist | Whylah Falls, George and Rue |
| Lynn Coady | b. 1970 | novelist | Saints of Big Harbour |
| Leonard Cohen | b. 1934 | poet, novelist, singer-songwriter | Beautiful Losers |
| Matt Cohen | 1942-1999 | novelist | Emotional Arithmetic, Elizabeth and After |
| John Robert Colombo | b. 1936 | poet and compiler of reference books | |
| Jan Conn | b. 1952 | poet and insect geneticist | |
| Karen Connelly | b. 1969 | ||
| Ralph Conner (also known as Charles William Gordon) | The Man from Glengarry, Glengarry School Days | ||
| George Ramsay Cook | b. 1931 | historian | |
| Hugh Cook | b. 1942 | ||
| Michael Cook | |||
| Dennis Cooley | b. 1944 | ||
| Douglas Cooper | novelist | ||
| Thomas B. Costain | 1885-1965 | historical fiction | |
| Douglas Coupland | b. 1961 | novelist | Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma |
| Isabella Valancy Crawford | |||
| Donald Creighton | 1902-1979 | historian | |
| Octave Crémazie | 1827-1879 | poet | |
| Lynn Crosbie | |||
| Lorna Crozier | b. 1948 | poet | |
| Michael Crummey | |||
| Alan Cumyn | b. 1960 | ||
| Richard Cumyn | |||
| Herb Curtis |
D
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulo da Costa | |||
| Frank Davey | b. 1940 | ||
| Robertson Davies | 1913-1995 | novelist | Fifth Business |
| Lauren B. Davis | b. 1955 | novelist, short story writer | |
| Mazo de la Roche | 1879-1961 | novelist | Jalna |
| Charles de Lint | fantasy | ||
| Sandra Dempsey | |||
| Barry Dempster | |||
| Alexander Dewdney | computer science and philosophy | ||
| Christopher Dewdney | b. 1951 | ||
| Mary di Michele | |||
| Sean Dixon | |||
| Kildare Dobbs | b. 1923 | short story writer | |
| Cory Doctorow | b. 1971 | science fiction | |
| Don Domanski | b. 1950 | ||
| Candas Dorsey | b. 1960 | science fiction | |
| Clive Doucet | |||
| Orville Lloyd Douglas | b. 1976 | poet | |
| William Henry Drummond | 1854-1907 | poet | The Habitant |
| Marcel Dubé | |||
| Réjean Ducharme | b. 1941 | ||
| Louis Dudek | 1918-2001 | poet | |
| Dave Duncan | b. 1933 |
E
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edith Maude Eaton | 1865-1914 | short stories | Mrs. Spring Fragrance |
| Winnifred Eaton | 1875-1954 | novelist | A Japanese Nightingale |
| Louis Émond | b. 1969 | novelist | The Manuscript |
| Howard Engel | b. 1931 | mystery | The Suicide Murders |
| Marian Engel | 1933-1985 | novelist | Bear |
| Yves Engler | political writer and activist | Playing Left Wing | |
| Jon Evans | b. 1973 | novelist | Dark Places |
F
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emil Ludwig Fackenheim | 1916-2003 | historian, philosopher | |
| Brian Fawcett | |||
| Ian Ferguson | |||
| Trevor Ferguson | b. 1947 | ||
| Will Ferguson | humorist | ||
| Jacques Ferron | 1921-1985 | playwright | |
| Charlotte Fielden | b. 1932 | ||
| Joy Fielding | b. 1945 | novelist | |
| Timothy Findley | 1930-2002 | novelist, dramatist, short stories | The Wars, The Piano Man's Daughter |
| Sheree Fitch | |||
| Judith Fitzgerald | |||
| Barbara Fletcher | |||
| Helen Forrester | b. 1919 | novelist | |
| Cecil Foster | |||
| Tess Fragoulis | |||
| Brad Fraser | playwright | Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love | |
| John Anderson Fraser | b. 1944 | ||
| Raymond Fraser | Rum River, Costa Blanca | ||
| Sylvia Fraser | b. 1935 | novelist | |
| Louis Fréchette | 1839-1908 | poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist | |
| David French | b. 1939 | playwright | |
| Patrick Friesen | |||
| Northrop Frye | 1912-1991 | critic | |
| Robert Fulford | journalist | ||
| Nicola Furlong |
G
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mavis Gallant | b. 1922 | short stories | From the Fifteenth District |
| Francois Xavier Garneau | 1809-1866 | historian | |
| Saint-Denys Garneau | 1912-1943 | poet | |
| Hugh Garner | 1913-1979 | novelist | Cabbagetown |
| Pauline Gedge | b. 1945 | novelist | |
| Camilla Gibb | b. 1968 | novelist | |
| Graeme Gibson | b. 1934 | novelist | |
| Margaret Gibson | |||
| William Gibson | b. 1948 | science fiction | Neuromancer, All Tomorrow's Parties |
| Sky Gilbert | playwright | ||
| John Patrick Gillese | |||
| Joanna Glass | |||
| Susan Glickman | b. 1953 | poet, novelist, critic | |
| Jacques Godbout | |||
| Glenda Goertzen | b. 1967 | novelist | |
| Leona Gom | |||
| Phyllis Gotlieb | b. 1926 | poet, science fiction | |
| Sondra Gotlieb | b. 1936 | newspaper columnist | |
| Hiromi Goto | |||
| George R. D. Goulet | b. 1933 | historian | |
| Katherine Govier | b. 1948 | novelist | |
| David Gow | b. 1964 | playwright, screenwriter | Steel Toes |
| Lee Gowan | |||
| Barbara Gowdy | b. 1950 | novelist, short stories | The Romantic, The White Bone |
| Gwethalyn Graham | 1913-1965 | novelist | Earth and High Heaven |
| Neile Graham | |||
| George Grant | 1918-1988 | historian, philosopher | |
| Ed Greenwood | fantasy | Forgotten Realms | |
| Grey Owl | 1888-1938 | conservationist | |
| Frederick Phillip Grove | 1879-1948 | ||
| Genni Gunn | b. 1949 | ||
| Kristjana Gunnars | |||
| Ralph Gustafson | 1909-1995 | poet | |
| Sandra Gwyn | b. 1935 | novelist |
H
I
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Ignatieff | b. 1947 | novelist, academic | Scar Tissue, Blood and Belonging |
| Susan Ioannou | b. 1944 | poet | Clarity Between Clouds |
| Adel Iskandar | b. 1977 | media critic | Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism |
| Frances Itani | novelist | Deafening |
J
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Jack | 1924-2003 | novelist, playwright | The Bandy Papers |
| J. Robert Janes | b. 1932 | mystery | |
| K.V. Johansen | b. 1968 | fantasy | |
| E. Pauline Johnson | 1861-1913 | poet | Canadian Born |
| Wentworth M. Johnson | b. 1939 | science fiction | Angel of the Veil |
| Wayne Johnston | b. 1958 | novelist, non-fiction | The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, Baltimore's Mansion |
| Andy Jones | b. 1948 | playwright, screenwriter | The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood |
| Terry Jordan | short stories | It's a Hard Cow |
K
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surjeet Kalsey | |||
| Smaro Kamboureli | |||
| Alan Kane | b. 1954 | Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies | |
| Ibi Kaslik | |||
| Welwyn Wilton Katz | |||
| Guy Gavriel Kay | b. 1954 | fantasy | |
| Lionel Kearns | b. 1937 | ||
| Sean Kennedy | b. 1973 | ||
| Crawford Kilian | |||
| Crad Kilodney | |||
| Jack King | |||
| Thomas King | b. 1943 | novelist, non-fiction | Green Grass, Running Water |
| Mark Kingwell | philosopher | Dreams of Millennium | |
| W.P. Kinsella | b. 1935 | novelist | Field of Dreams, Dance Me Outside |
| Raymond Knister | |||
| Joy Kogawa | poet, novelist | Obasan | |
| Gordon Korman | |||
| Myrna Kostash | |||
| Shane Koyczan | |||
| Henry Kriesel | |||
| John Krizanc | playwright | Tamara | |
| Robert Kroetsch | b. 1927 |
L
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonnet L'Abbé | |||
| Larissa Lai | |||
| Tim Lander | |||
| Patrick Lane | b. 1939 | poet | |
| Evelyn Lau | b. 1971 | ||
| Margaret Laurence | 1926-1987 | novelist | The Stone Angel, The Diviners |
| Paul Laurendeau | |||
| Eric Layman | |||
| Irving Layton | 1912-2006 | poet | |
| Stephen Leacock | 1869-1944 | humorist | Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town |
| Dennis Lee | b. 1939 | poet | Garbage Delight, Alligator Pie, Civil Elegies |
| John B. Lee | |||
| Ronald Lee | Goddam Gypsy | ||
| Sky Lee | |||
| Mark Leiren-Young | b. 1962 | ||
| John Lent | |||
| Shar Levine | |||
| Wyndham Lewis | |||
| Dorothy Livesay | |||
| Douglas Lochhead | poet | ||
| Malcolm Lowry | 1909-1957 | Under the Volcano | |
| Pat Lowther | 1935-1975 | poet |
M
N
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Émile Nelligan | 1879-1941 | poet | |
| John Newlove | poet | ||
| bpNichol | 1944-1988 | poet | |
| Hal Niedzviecki | novelist, critic | Ditch, We Want Some Too | |
| Henri Nouwen | theologian | ||
| Alden Nowlan | 1933-1983 | poet |
O
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheldon Oberman | 1949-2004 | children's literature | The Shaman's Nephew |
| Heather O'Neill | novelist | Lullabies for Little Criminals | |
| Michael Ondaatje | b. 1943 | novelist, poet | The English Patient, In the Skin of a Lion, Anil's Ghost |
| Kenneth Oppel | b. 1967 | children's literature | Airborn, Skybreaker |
| Stephen Osborne | b. 1947 | journalist | Ice & Fire: Dispatches from the New World |
P
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| P.K. Page | b. 1916 | poet | |
| Kevin Patterson | b. 1964 | novelist, memoirist | Country of Cold, Consumption, The Water in Between |
| Michael Patterson | |||
| Raymond M Patterson | |||
| Sasenarine Persaud | essayist, short story writer, novelist, poet | ||
| Len Peterson | |||
| Ted Plantos | |||
| Daniel Poliquin | |||
| Sharon Pollock | b. 1936 | ||
| Jacques Poulin | "The "Jimmy" Trilogy" (translated titled) | ||
| B.W. Powe | philosopher | A Canada of Light | |
| E.J. Pratt | 1883-1964 | poet | |
| Robert Priest | poet | ||
| Al Purdy | b. 1918 | poet |
Q
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlene Quaife | b. 1948 | novelist | Bone Bird |
| Andy Quan | b. 1969 | novelist | Calendar Boy, Slant, Six Positions |
| Paul Quarrington | b. 1953 | novelist, screenwriter | Whale Music, King Leary |
R
S
T
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jules-Paul Tardivel | |||
| Timothy Taylor | novelist, short stories | Stanley Park | |
| Wayne Tefs | |||
| Charles Templeton | |||
| John Terpstra | poet | ||
| Denis Thériault | |||
| Yves Thériault | 1915-1983 | ||
| Sharon Thesen | |||
| Madeleine Thien | |||
| Audrey Thomas | |||
| John Thompson | |||
| Elizabeth Thornton | |||
| Miriam Toews | novelist | A Complicated Kindness | |
| Morley Torgov | b. 1927 | ||
| Lola Lemire Tostevin | |||
| Catharine Parr Traill | 1802-1899 | memoirist | Life in the Backwoods of Canada |
| Rhea Tregebov | |||
| Lise Tremblay | |||
| Michel Tremblay | b. 1942 | playwright | Les Belles-soeurs |
| Karen X. Tulchinsky | |||
| Élise Turcotte | |||
| Michael Turner | novelist, songwriter | American Whiskey Bar, Hard Core Logo | |
| Michael Twist | b. 1972 | Highs & Lows |
U
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Uguay | 1955-1981 | poet | |
| Priscilla Uppal | |||
| Jane Urquhart | b. 1949 | novelist | Away, The Stone Carvers |
V
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.D. Valgardson | The Girl with the Botticelli Face | ||
| Pierre Vallières | |||
| Edo Van Belkom | |||
| Guy Vanderhaeghe | b. 1951 | novelist, short stories | The Englishman's Boy, The Last Crossing |
| Aritha Van Herk | b. 1954 | novelist | |
| A. E. van Vogt | 1912-2000 | science fiction | |
| Jean Vanier | theologian | ||
| M.G. Vassanji | novelist | The Book of Secrets, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall | |
| R. M. Vaughan | |||
| Paul Vermeersch | |||
| Margaret Visser | philosopher | ||
| Élisabeth Vonarburg | science fiction |
W
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Wah | |||
| Bronwen Wallace | |||
| Sabrina Ward Harrison | |||
| David Watmough | |||
| Sheila Watson | 1909-1998 | novelist | The Double Hook |
| Alison Wearing | |||
| John Weier | |||
| Elizabeth Wellburn | |||
| Zachariah Wells | b. 1976 | poet, critic | |
| Dawud Wharnsby Ali | b. 1972 | poet, songwriter | |
| Thomas Wharton | novelist | Salamander | |
| Rudy Wiebe | b. 1934 | novelist | |
| Ethel Wilson | 1888-1980 | novelist | Swamp Angel, Hetty Dorval, The Window |
| Sheri-D Wilson | |||
| Rob Winger | |||
| Michael Winter | novelist | This All Happened, The Big Why | |
| Adele Wiseman | 1928-1992 | novelist, poet | |
| George Woodcock | 1912-1995 | poet, critic and anarchist | Anarchism |
| Marnie Woodrow | novelist | Spelling Mississippi | |
| Lance Woolaver | |||
| Eric Wright | b. 1929 | mystery | |
| L.R. Wright | mystery |
Y
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ying Chen | |||
| Alissa York | |||
| Scott Young | b. 1918 | novelist, sportswriter |
Z
| Name | Lifetime | Genre | Notable works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Zwicky |