Thomas Wharton (born 25 February 1963) is a Canadian
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 asp ...
.
Life
Born in
Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Wharton attended the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...
and the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
. He was a student of
Rudy Wiebe
Rudy Henry Wiebe (born 4 October 1934) is a Canadian author and professor emeritus in the department of English at the University of Alberta since 1992.
and
Greg Hollingshead
Gregory Hollingshead, CM (born February 25, 1947) is a Canadian novelist. He was formerly a professor of English at the University of Alberta, and he lives in Toronto, Ontario.Kristjana Gunnars. He worked on his PhD at Calgary with Aritha van Herk. Wharton is currently an associate professor of writing and English at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and head of the creative writing program.
Writing and awards
Wharton's first book, ''Icefields'' (1995), was awarded the "Best First Book" in the Canada and Caribbean division of the
Commonwealth Writers Prize
Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...
Canada Reads
''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...
competition in early 2008.
His second book, ''Salamander'' (2002), won the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction and was short-listed for the
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
Th ...
for Fiction, and the Grant MacEwan Author's Award (2002). It was also a finalist for the
Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...
.
''The Logogryph'' was short listed for the
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
.CBC Wharton shortlisted for richest literary prize
Wharton has published a three-volume fantasy novel for younger readers, The Perilous Realm. The three books are The Shadow of Malabron (2008), The Fathomless Fire (2012), and The Tree of Story (2013), published by Doubleday Canada and Walker/Candlewick (US/UK).
Wharton's most recent book is the self-published novel Every Blade of Grass (2014), the story of a decades-long correspondence between a man and woman who share a love for the wonders and oddities of nature.
Bibliography
*''Icefields''. Edmonton:
NeWest Press
NeWest Press is a Canadian publishing company. Established in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1977,George Melnyk, ''The Literary History of Alberta Volume Two: From the End of the War to the End of the Century''. University of Alberta Press, 1999. . p. 173 ...
, 1995
*''Salamander''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2001
*''The Logogryph: A Bibliography of Imaginary Books''. Kentville, Nova Scotia: Gaspereau Press, 2004
*''The Shadow of Malabron: Book One of The Perilous Realm''. Toronto: Doubleday, 2008. London: Walker Books, 2008
*"The Fathomless Fire: Book Two of The Perilous Realm". Toronto: Doubleday, 2012
*The Tree of Story: Book Three of the Perilous Realm. Toronto: Doubleday, 2013
Quill & Quire
''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...