Robert Harlow (born November 19, 1923) is a Canadian writer and former academic, best known for his 1972 novel ''Scann''."Robert Harlow"
''

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 ...

'', April 2, 2008.

Background

Harlow was born in

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

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, ...

, but raised primarily in Prince George. He served in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a bomber pilot, and then attended 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 ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He worked for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

from 1951 to 1965, much of that time as the director of radio operations for British Columbia. He joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia in 1965 as head of its creative writing program. He married Margaret Latremouille, and was stepfather to broadcaster and actor Fred Latremouille, Margaret's son from her prior marriage.

Writing

His debut novel ''Royal Murdoch'' (1962) was the first of what is called his Linden Trilogy, set in the fictional small British Columbia town of Linden. The other two novels in the trilogy were ''A Gift of Echoes'' (1965) and ''Scann''. His later novels were ''Making Arrangements'' (1978), ''Paul Nolan'' (1983), ''Felice: A Travelogue'' (1985), ''The Saxophone Winter'' (1988) and ''Necessary Dark'' (2002). He was also the writer of the screenplay for Larry Kent's 1965 film ''

When Tomorrow Dies ''When Tomorrow Dies'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Larry Kent and released in 1965.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 238. The film stars Patricia Gage as Gwen James, a housewife trapped in an unfu ...

''. In 2001, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the

Vancouver Public Library Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is the public library system for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2013, VPL had more than 6.9 million visits with patrons borrowing nearly 9.5 million items including: books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs, video game ...

and ''BC Bookworld''."Kudos". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', September 4, 2001. In the 2000s, with all of his novels out of print, he republished them all through Xlibris.

References

External links

* * Archives of Robert Harlo
(Robert Harlow fonds, R11745)
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 ...

1923 births Living people 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian male novelists Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Canadian historical novelists University of British Columbia alumni University of Iowa alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia People from Prince George, British Columbia Writers from British Columbia Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian expatriates in the United States Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Canadian World War II pilots 20th-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian male screenwriters {{Canada-writer-stub