Joan Givner
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Joan Givner (born in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England) is an essayist, biographer, and novelist, known for her biographies of women, short stories, and the Ellen Fremendon series of novels for younger readers that was finalist for the
Silver Birch Awards The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve ...
, the 2006 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for ''Ellen Fremedon'', and the Diamond Willow Awards.


Biography

Givner obtained a BA (Hons.) from the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
(1958), and an MA from
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
(1963), and after a period of teaching in the US, her Ph.D. in London in 1972. She joined the English Department of the
University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, Regina Campus, which in 1974 became the autonomous
University of Regina The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...
, and where she was appointed Professor of English in 1981. She remained on the faculty until she retired in 1995 to settle in
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 take up full-time writing. In 1978-1979 Givner was Fellow of the
Bunting Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...
, Radcliffe College,
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. Givner was editor of the '' Wascana Review'' the literary journal of the University of Regina from 1984 to 1992, is a jury member for several literary prizes, and a contributor to the ''
Literary Review of Canada The ''Literary Review of Canada'' is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year in print and online. The magazine features essays and reviews of books on political, cultural, social, and literary topics, as well as original Canadian poet ...
''. In 1989 and 1990 she was a Member of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council adjudication committee, and in 1991, Chair of the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...
adjudication committee. In 1992 Givner won the CBC fiction competition. In 1963 she married David Givner and has two children.


Television

''Katherine Anne Porter: The Eye of Memory'' (USA 1986) directed by Ken Harrison, produced by KERA Dallas, and starring Dina Chandel, Eleanor Clark, and Joan Givner as herself.IMDB
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Publications (selection)

* ''Katherine Anne Porter: A Life'' (1982), Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0-671-43207-9 (1982), commissioned by
Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel ''Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her sho ...
,; (revised 1991), University of Georgia Press, * ''Tentacles of Unreason'' (1985), collection of short fiction * ''Katherine Anne Porter: Conversations'' (1987), collection of interviews with writer
Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel ''Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her sho ...
, University Press of Mississippi, * ''Mazo De La Roche: The Hidden Life'' (1989), study of the life and work of writer
Mazo De La Roche Mazo de la Roche (; born Maisie Louise Roche; January 15, 1879 – July 12, 1961) was a Canadian writer who was the author of the ''Jalna (novel series), Jalna'' novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time. Biography Early li ...
* ''Unfortunate Incidents'' (1988, 2000), biography of Rachel de la Warr, Oberon Press, * ''Scenes from Provincial Life'' (1991), Oberon Press, * ''The Self-Portrait of a Literary Biographer'' (1993), autobiography, University of Georgia Press, * ''In the Garden of Henry James'' (1996), short fiction, Oberon Press, * ''Thirty-Four Ways of Looking at Jane Eyre'' (1998), short stories and essays, New Star Books, * ''Half Known Lives'' (2001), novel, New Star Books, * ''Playing Sarah Bernhardt'' (2004), novel, Dundurn Press, * ''Ellen Fremedon'' (2004), children's novel, Groundwood Books, * ''Ellen Fremedon: Journalist'' (2005), children's novel, Groundwood Books, * ''Ellen Fremedon, Volunteer'' (2007), children's novel, Groundwood Books, * ''Ellen's Book of Life'' (2010), children's novel, Groundwood Books, * ''A Girl Called Tennyson'' (2011), young adult fantasy novel, Thistledown Press, * ''The Hills Are Shadows'' (2014), sequel to ''A Girl Called Tennyson'', Thistledown Press,


Plays

* ''Mazo and Caroline'' (1992)


References


Further reading

* ''A Room of One's Own'', Gheorghe, Cristina (ed.) (1992), on the works of Givner.


External links


Givner web site
* The Mr. and Mrs. William R. Wilkins papers at the University of Mayland Libraries contain correspondence from Joan Givner. {{DEFAULTSORT:Givner, Joan 1936 births Living people Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan British women novelists 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists British short story writers British women short story writers British biographers British autobiographers British children's writers British writers of young adult literature British women essayists British women biographers British women autobiographers British women children's writers British women writers of young adult literature 21st-century British women writers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century British short story writers 21st-century British short story writers 20th-century British essayists 21st-century British essayists Alumni of the University of London Washington University in St. Louis alumni Academic staff of the University of Regina