Betty Lambert, born Elizabeth Minnie Lee (August 23, 1933 – November 4, 1983) was a Canadian writer. Lambert was born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada to Christopher and Bessie Lee (née Cooper), the oldest of three daughters. She graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, in 1957. She married Frank Lambert in 1952. They were divorced in 1962. Betty had a daughter in 1964. Lambert received the 1956 Brissenden Creative Writing Award and the 1957 Macmillan Best Short Story Award. In 1965 she joined the English Department of the newly founded Simon Fraser University, where she eventually became professor. Lambert died in Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1983. Her work includes over seventy stage, radio, and television plays; additionally, works of both long and short fiction. While handling a broad range of topics, many of her works deal with feminism, strong women, and sexual violence.

Works

* ''The Pony'' (1956) * ''The Best Room in the House'' (radio play, 1959) * ''The Good of the Sun'' (radio play, 1960) * ''Falconer's Island'' (radio play, 1966) * ''Tumult with Indians'' (children's play, 1967; winner of the Canadian Centennial Award for best historical children's play) * ''The Visitor'' (performed at the Vancouver Playhouse production history 1968–1969) * ''The Dandy Lion'' (1972) * ''The Popcorn Man'' (1973) * ''The Riddle Machine'' (children's play, 1974) * ''Sqrieux-de-Dieu'' (comedy, 1976) * ''Guilt'' (short story, 1978) * ''The Last Dinner'' (1979) * ''Crossings'' (novel, 1979; nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award) * ''Clouds of Glory'' (1980) * ''Jennie's Story'' (1981; finalist for the 1982 Governor General's Awards; winner of the 1984

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

; basis for the movie '' Heart of the Sun'' (1999)) * ''Under the Skin'' (drama, 1985) * ''Grasshopper Hill'' (radio play; winner of the

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

for best radio drama)

External links

Official Website

Biography
at the

Literary Encyclopedia ''Literary Encyclopedia'' (Russian: Литературная энциклопедия) is a 12-volume encyclopedia published in the USSR from 1929 until 1939. It contains more than 5000 entries with a focus on Russian and Soviet authors, as well ...

Biography
at the

Dictionary of Literary Biography The ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' is a specialist biographical dictionary dedicated to literature. Published by Gale, the 375-volume setRogers, 106. covers a wide variety of literary topics, periods, and genres, with a focus on American an ...

*
Records of Betty Lambert are held by Simon Fraser University's Special Collections and Rare Books
1933 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Canadian novelists Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women novelists Writers from Calgary University of British Columbia alumni 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian women short story writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers {{Canada-playwright-stub