Armin Wiebe (born 17 June 1948) is a Canadian writer of

Russian Mennonite The Russian Mennonites (german: Russlandmennoniten it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire occasionally Ukrainian Mennonites) are a group of Mennonites who are descendants of Dutch Anabaptists who settled for abo ...

descent born in Altona, Manitoba, best known for his humorous novels about Mennonites. Wiebe is regarded as one of the pioneers of humorous Mennonite writing in English and is known for his incorporation of Plautdietsch words within his English texts. Beginning with '' The Salvation of Yasch Siemens'', which was shortlisted for the

Stephen Leacock Award The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self ...

for Humour in 1984, Wiebe has published several humorous novels about Mennonites. He followed up this book with ''Murder in Gutenthal'' and ''The Second Coming of Yeeat Shpanst'', all published by

Turnstone Press Turnstone Press is a Canadian literary publisher founded in 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the oldest in Manitoba and among the most respected independent publishers in Canada. Turnstone was founded in 1976 by academics David Arnason, John Beaver, ...

. Wiebe has also written plays and short stories about Mennonites and has published a collection of short stories entitled "Armin's Shorts'. His stage play ''The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz'' premiered to sold-out houses at

Theatre Projects Manitoba Theatre Projects Manitoba (TPM) is a professional theatre company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded in 1990 by playwright Harry Rintoul in response to the perceived need for a strong local professional company to provide opportunities fo ...

in April 2011. 'Wine and Little Breads' received an Honourable Mention in the 2019 Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition sponsored by Queen's University's Dan School of Drama and Music. His novel ''Tatsea'' is a work of historic fiction, which diverges significantly from his Mennonite writing, and depicts the Dogrib people of the Canadian Subarctic in the 1700s. The book won both the

McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award The McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award is associated with the Manitoba Book Awards and was established in 1988. It is presented to the Manitoba writer whose adult English language book is judged the best written. The author receives a cash awa ...

and the

Margaret Laurence Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...

Award for Fiction in 2003. Wiebe holds degrees from the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg and taught creative writing at

Red River College Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is a college located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the province's largest institute of applied learning and applied research, with over 200 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, and more ...

in Winnipeg, Manitoba for twelve years.

Bibliography

* '' The Salvation of Yasch Siemens'' (1984) **''The Salvation of Yasch Siemens 35th Anniversary Turnstone Selects Edition (2019) * ''Murder in Gutenthal'' (1991) * ''Second Coming of Yeeat Shpanst'' (1995) * ''Tatsea'' (2003) * ''The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz'' (2011) * ''Armin's Shorts'' (2015) * ''Grandmother, Laughing'' (2017)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiebe, Armin 1948 births Canadian humorists Canadian male novelists Canadian Mennonites Living people Mennonite writers Mennonite humorists People from Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba Writers from Winnipeg