Gail Kathryn Anderson-Dargatz (born November 14, 1963) is a Canadian novelist."Gail Anderson-Dargatz"

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

, February 20, 2007. Anderson-Dargatz was born in

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and grew up in

Salmon Arm Salmon Arm is a city in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District of the Southern Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia that has a population of 17,706 (2016). Salmon Arm was incorporated as a municipal district on May 15, 1905. The ...

. She studied creative writing at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

and taught in the MFA program at UBC. She published her debut short story collection ''The Miss Hereford Stories'' in 1994, and received a nomination for the

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour 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 ...

in 1995."Montreal writer wins humor award". ''

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'', May 4, 1995. Her first novel, '' The Cure for Death by Lightning'' (1996), was an experimental yet accessible work whose story unfolded partly through narrative and partly through a collection of recipes and household tips belonging to the narrator's mother. A Canadian bestseller that year, it won the

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada. The award is named after novelist and short story A short stor ...

, and was nominated for the

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

and the

Books in Canada First Novel Award The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of ...

. Her second novel, ''A Recipe for Bees'', was published in 1998."Book research prompts her parents to remarry". ''

Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...

'', September 18, 1998. Based on her own parents' early relationship, her process of researching the book led her parents to rekindle their romance after having divorced in 1981, and ultimately to their remarriage to each other. The book was a Giller Prize finalist in 1998. She has since published the novels ''A Rhinestone Button'' (2002), ''Turtle Valley'' (2007) and ''The Spawning Grounds'' (2016)."A river runs through it: Gail Anderson-Dargatz's latest novel is a coming-of-age story with a very strange supernatural twist". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 17, 2016.

Bibliography

Short story collections

* ''The Miss Hereford Stories'' (1994) –

Novels

* '' The Cure for Death by Lightning'' (1996) – * ''A Recipe for Bees'' (1998) – * ''A Rhinestone Button'' (2002) – / * ''Turtle Valley'' (2007) – * ''The Spawning Grounds'' (2016) * ''The Almost Wife'' (2021)

References

External links

* * Archives of Gail Anderson-Dargat
(Gail Anderson Dargatz fonds, R11697)
are held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson-Dargatz, Gail 1963 births Living people 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists People from Salmon Arm Canadian women novelists University of Victoria alumni Canadian women short story writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers Writers from British Columbia