Marian Engel

Engel, Marian
Marian Engel, née Passmore, writer (b at Toronto 24 May 1933; d there 16 Feb 1985). Engel grew up in Galt, Sarnia and Hamilton, Ontario. Educated at McMaster, McGill and Aix-en-Provence, France, she taught in the US, Canada and Cyprus. She married and subsequently divorced Howard ENGEL. She was widely known and respected, particularly because of her Governor General's Award-winning novel Bear (1976). She was also influential in the movement to enable Canadian writers to deal collectively with publishers and other institutions. She was the first chairman of the WRITERS' UNION OF CANADA (1973-74).

In her novels and stories, Engel wrote with wit and grace about the everyday lives of contemporary people, especially women. Among her 6 novels are No Clouds of Glory (1968), Monodromos (1974) and Lunatic Villas (1981). She also wrote 2 juvenile books and 2 collections of short stories called Inside the Easter Egg (1975) and The Tattooed Woman (1985). A special issue of Room of One's Own (9:2, 1984) is devoted to Engel and features an interview, articles on her work, original writing by her and a bibliography.

Author JEAN WILSON