Alistair MacLeod Next Year's Ashley Fellow at Trent
Budding writers and avid readers will be thrilled to know that renowned Canadian author Alistair MacLeod has been selected as Trent University's Ashley Fellow for the year 2002-03.
A Canadian writer of international renown, Alistair MacLeod focuses on life in eastern Canada, particularly Cape Breton, in his work. His writing has received widespread literary acclaim and last year he was the first Canadian to win the International impac Dublin Literary Award, the largest monetary award for a single piece of fiction. The prize was awarded for his first novel No Great Mischief.
Also known and loved for his talent in crafting short stories, MacLeod draws on the Gaelic oral tradition of storytelling in his work. The landscapes and established occupations of Cape Breton life are fixtures in his tales, as are the themes of leaving home and returning home.
The Ashley Fellow is a visiting scholar who gives public lectures, resides on campus and participates in the academic and college life of the university. Those who wrote passionate submissions in favour of MacLeod's nomination remarked that, as one of the major sensations on the Canadian and international literary scene, he would greatly enrich the academic and creative experience of students at Trent.
MacLeod expressed his delight at the announcement and anticipates a wonderful experience at Trent University in the coming year. "I am very pleased and honoured to be recognized in such a way by Trent University," said MacLeod. "I feel very positive about Trent in general. I was a short-term writer in residence and I have done readings there. I look forward to being at Trent and making whatever contributions I can." MacLeod particularly looks forward to interacting with students.
"Any university English Department would be proud to have an author of Alistair MacLeod's stature as a visitor," commented Professor James Neufeld, Chair of Trent's English Department. "But here at Trent, we feel as though we are welcoming back an old friend. Alistair has paid frequent brief visits to Trent in the past, and his Ashley Fellowship will be something of a homecoming. We are excited that a new generation of students will have the chance to meet this extraordinary writer and special man."
Though retired from his position as Professor at the University of Windsor, Alistair MacLeod continues to be a part of the life of the university. He has received honorary degrees from University College of Cape Breton (1991) and St. Francis Xavier University (1987).
MacLeod's literary honours and awards are extensive. The Lost Salt Gift of Blood was nominated for the "Peoples Choice" Award as one of the best books published in the United Kingdom in 1991 and was selected as one of the "best new books in Scotland."
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Last updated March 1, 2002