Geraldine Valerie Whelan (born 2 December 1952), known by the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
O. R. Melling, is a writer of
fantasy novels, mostly for children and young adults. Melling's novels focus on Irish and
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
ic
folklore. She writes reviews and film scripts as G. V. Whelan.
She is sometimes published as Orla Melling.
Early life and education
Melling was born in Ireland, but moved with her family to
Toronto,
Ontario when she was four.
Her father was a musician and she had nine brothers and sisters.
Melling was educated at
Loretto College School
Loretto College School (a.k.a. Loretto College, or Loretto), formerly the Loretto Abbey Day School and Loretto Abbey Day School and College, is a Catholic high school for girls in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Catholic ...
in Toronto.
She studied philosophy,
Celtic Studies and mediaeval history at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
,
University of Toronto.
Career
Melling has said that she started writing after dropping out of studying law: "Writing gave me the excuse I needed to leave my law studies".
Melling has been awarded the
Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award
The Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award was a literary award given annually from 1981 to 2016 to recognize a Canadian book of young adult fiction written in English and published in Canada, written by a citizen or permanent reside ...
for ''The Druid's Tale'', and the
Ruth Schwartz Award for Children's Literature.
''The Druid's Tale'' has been translated into Czech and Japanese.
Her influences include
Patricia Lynch
Patricia Lynch (4 June 1894– 1 September 1972) was an Irish children's writer and a journalist. She was the author of some 48 novels and 200 short stories. She is best known for blending Irish rural life and fantasy fiction as in ''The Turf-Cu ...
.
Melling has also worked as a teacher of
Irish dance and been an officer in the
Royal Canadian Navy.
Critical response
The critic
Ciara Ní Bhroin has described Melling's novels as "weaving ... modern Canadian protagonists into ancient myth". She identifies a "nostalgic, regressive strain" in ''The Druid's Tale'', and writes that "Melling both confirms and denies traditional portrayals of Ireland and the feminine". Ní Bhroin positions Melling's work within
Anglo-Irish literature.
Personal life
Melling lives in
Bray, County Wicklow. She has a daughter.
Books
*
*
*
* ''
The Chronicles of Faerie
''The Chronicles of Faerie'' is a young adult fantasy series by O.R. Melling. It consists of four books, the first being '' The Hunter's Moon'' (1993), the second being '' The Summer King'' (1990), the third being ''The Light-Bearer's Daughter
...
'' series (1993–2003)
**
**
**
**
*
*
References
External links
*
Biographyat Mythic Imagination Institute (mythicjourneys.org)
*
*
Alumna Spotlight, Geraldine Valerie Whelan, LCS 1970
Living people
1952 births
Canadian fantasy writers
Canadian women novelists
Trinity College (Canada) alumni
University of Toronto alumni
People from Bray, County Wicklow
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
Writers from County Wicklow
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