Marilyn Bowering (born April 13, 1949) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. As well as several adventure novels and many books of poetry, Bowering has also scripted a number of dramatic works and a libretto.

Early life

Bowering was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, and grew up in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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, ...

. She studied English at the University of Victoria, and graduated with a Master of Arts degree.

Career

In 1987, Bowering wrote a book of poetic monologues, titled ''Anyone Can See I Love You'', which was later adapted as a radio drama. In 1998 she wrote an adventure story, ''Visible Worlds'', which received positive reviews.Juliana De Nooy.
Twins in Contemporary Literature and Culture: Look Twice
'. Palgrave Macmillan UK; 21 June 2005. . p. 161–.H.W. Wilson Company.
Book review digest
'. Vol. 95. H.W. Wilson Co.; 1999. p. 186. In 2012, her book of poetry, ''Soul Mouth'', was published. In 2013 Bowering worked with composer Gavin Bryars to create the libretto for a chamber opera, ''Marilyn Forever'', about Marilyn Monroe.

Personal

Bowering lives in

Sooke Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Ba ...

, British Columbia; she is married and has one daughter."Thread of melancholy runs through Marilyn Monroe opera"
Kevin Bazzana / ''Times Colonist'', September 15, 2013

Bibliography

Novels

*''The Visitors Have All Returned'' - 1979 *''To All Appearances a Lady'' - 1989 *''Visible Worlds'' - 1997 *''Cat's Pilgrimage'' - 2004 *''What It Takes to Be Human'' - 2007

Poetry

*''The Liberation of Newfoundland'' - 1973 *''One Who Became Lost'' - 1976 *''The Killing Room'' - 1977 *''The Book of Glass''- 1978 *''Sleeping With Lambs'' - 1980 *''Giving Back Diamonds'' - 1982 *''The Sunday Before Winter'' - 1984 *''Grandfather was a Soldier'' - 1987 *''Anyone Can See I Love You'' - 1987 *''Calling All the World'' - 1989 *''Love As It Is'' - 1993 *''Autobiography'' - 1996 *''Human Bodies: Collected Poems 1987-1999'' - 1999 *''The Alchemy of Happiness'' - 2003 *''Green'' - 2007 *''Soul Mouth'' - 2012 *''Threshold'' - 2015

Other

*''Many Voices, An anthology of contemporary Canadian Indian Poetry'', co-edited with D. Day. - 1977 *''In Fine Form: The Canadian Book of Form Poetry'', edited by Kate Braid and Sandy Shreve - 2005

Drama

*''Anyone Can See I Love You'' - 1988 *''Hajimari-No-Hajimari, four myths of the Pacific Rim'' - 1986 *''Temple of the Stars'' - 1996

Radio

*''Grandfather was a Soldier'' - 1983 *''Anyone Can See I Love You'' - 1986 *''Laika and Folchakov, a Journey in Time and Space'' - 1987 *''A Cold Departure, the Liaison of George Sand and Frederic Chopin'' - 1989

Awards

*National Magazine Award for Poetry, Gold 1978 *Nominated for the 1984

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

(''The Sunday Before Winter'') *National Magazine Award for Poetry, Silver 1989 *Long Poem Prize, ''The Malahat Review'', 1994 *Pat Lowther Award for poetry, 1997 (''Autobiography'') *Nominated for the 1997 Governor General's Award (''Autobiography'') *Nominated for the 1997

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize The Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada. One of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, the award was originally known as the B.C. Prize for Poetry. ...

(''Autobiography'') *

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 ...

, 1998 (''Visible Worlds'') *Short-listed for the

Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

, 1999 (''Visible Worlds'') *Short-listed for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, 2004 (''The Alchemy of Happiness'') *Short-listed for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize 2007 (''What It Takes to Be Human'')

References

External links

Marilyn Bowering

Marilyn Bowering fonds
at University of Victoria, Special Collections * Archives of Marylin Bowerin
(Marylin Bowering fonds, R15614)
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:Bowering, Marilyn 1949 births Living people Canadian women novelists Canadian women poets Writers from Winnipeg 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers