Grace Irwin (1907-2008) was a Canadian writer who wrote Christian-themed fiction. She also worked as a classics teacher and minister.

Biography

Born in Toronto on July 14, 1907, Grace was the youngest of five children of John Irwin, a Methodist lay minister, and Martha Fortune Irwin, a schoolteacher. Grace attended high school at the

Parkdale Collegiate Institute Founded in 1888, Parkdale Collegiate Institute is a public high school located on Jameson Avenue in Parkdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the heart of what is considered ' Little Tibet', which is the home of the largest concentrati ...

before going on to earn a B.A. in 1929 and an M.A. in 1932 in Greek drama and philosophy from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. She taught at

Humberside Collegiate Institute Humberside Collegiate Institute (also known as Humberside CI, HCI, or Humberside), formerly known as Toronto Junction High School and Toronto Junction Collegiate Institute is a public high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It serves the ...

for many years, serving as head of the Latin and Greek department from 1942 to 1969. Victoria University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters degree in 1991. She was also awarded a

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...

in 1968. After her retirement from teaching, she was ordained by the Christian Congregational Conference of Ontario, and served as a minister in a Toronto area church. She died on September 16, 2008.

Works

Irwin's books reflect the early twentieth century city of Toronto, themes of Christian faith, and her own life as well as the lives of historical figures. Her first work, ''Compensation'', is a romance written in the 1920s but only published in 2003. Three novels focus on fictional pastor Andrew Connington: ''Least of All Saints'' (1952), ''Andrew Connington'' (1954), and ''Contend with Horses'' (1969). ''In Little Place'' (1959) tells the story of an unmarried, Christian, female Latin teacher, while ''Three Lives in Mine'' (1986) is Irwin's actual memoir. ''Servant of Slaves'' (1961) fictionalizes the life of hymn writer and slaver-turned-abolitionist

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

. Her other historical-biographical novel, ''The Seventh Earl'' (1976) describes the life of reformer and evangelical Anthony Ashley-Cooper. Awards named in her honor include the

Classical Association of Canada The Classical Association of Canada (CAC) (french: La Société canadienne des études classiques (SCEC)) is a national, nonprofit organization with the aim of advancing the study of the civilizations of the Greek and Roman worlds in their Mediter ...

's Grace Irwin Award for secondary teachers in the classics, and the Word Guild's Grace Irwin Grand Prize for Christian writers.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Grace 1907 births 2008 deaths Writers from Toronto Classics educators Canadian Congregationalist ministers University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Congregationalist ministers