List of Canadian writers

This is a list of Canadian Literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars.

Lists of Writers by Genre or Type

• List of Canadian poets
• List of Canadian playwrights
• List of Canadian children's writer's
• List of French-Canadian writers
• List of Canadian short story writers
• List of Canadian science fiction authors
• List of Canadian historians

See also: List of famous Canadians

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

• Milton Acorn (1923-1986) poet, has published 18 volumes of poetry
• Ian Adams (born 1937)
• Linda Aksomitis (nee Demyen) (born 1951?) novels, travel, poetry under pseudonym Sunflower Sue, manual for use of serger.
• Charlotte Vale Allen (a.k.a. Katherine Marlowe) (born 1941) romantic novels, expert on child abuse
• Grant Allen (1848-1899), The Woman Who Did
• Sidney Allinson
• George Amabile (born 1936)
• Rod Anderson
• Hubert Aquin (1929-1977) modernist Quebecois novelist
• Gilles Archambault (born 1933)
• Jeannette Armstrong (1948- )
• David Arnason
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939) The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Alias Grace, Surfacing
• Margaret Avison (born 1918) poet, has published 8 volumes of poetry
• Phillipe-Ignace Francois Aubert du Gaspe (1814-1841), author of the first French Canadian novel.

B

• D.F. Bailey
• Himani Bannerji
• Volodimir Barabash (1900-1989), poet
• Bruce Barber
• Steve Bareham
• Gary Barwin (born 1964) novelist and children's author
• Ronald Bates
• Bill Bauer
• Nancy Bauer
• Henry Beissel, (born 1929)
• William Bell
• Nigel Bennett
• Pierre Berton (born 1920) prolific author of Canadian History, journalist and TV personality, popularizer of Canadian history
• Dennison Berwick (born 1956), literary travel author now working in fiction
• Gerard Bessette (born 1920), Quebecois author
• Carol Biberstein, children's book Great Grandma's Rocking Chair
• Sandra Birdsell, (born 1942), has published 3 works of short fiction and 3 novels, wrote The Two-Headed Calf
• Earle Birney (1904-1995) anti-conventional poet, also wrote novels, short stories, drama
• Bill Bissett (born 1939) poet, famous for incorporating sound and the visual into poetry
• Neil Bissoondath (born 1955)

C

• Marie-Claire Blais
• Clark Blaise (born 1940)
• Christian Bok (born 1966), poet, author of Eunoia
• Stephanie Bolster
• Roo Borson, (born 1952)
• Nicholas Boving
• George Bowering (born 1935)
• Marilyn Bowering (born 1949), poet and novelist
• David Boyd
• George Elroy Boyd
• Catherine Bradford
• Karleen Bradford
• Max Braithwaite (1911-1995) prairie depression era fiction
• Dionne Brand (1953- ) poet born in Trinidad
• Di Brandt (1952 - ) Manitoba poet and literary critic
• Jaques Brault (1933- )
• Brian Brett
• Robert Bringhurst (1946- ) poet
• David Bromige (1944- ) poet
• Bertram Brooker theosophist painter
• Nicole Brossard (1943- ) formalist poet
• Robert Budde (1966- ) poet and novelist
• Margaret Buffie
• Bonnie Burnard (1945- ) novelist, The Good House
• Mick Burrs
• Sharon Butala (1940- )
• Anthony M. Buzzelli
• Barry Callaghan (1937- ) novelist and journalist
• Morley Callaghan (1903-1990) novelist and writer of short fiction, wrote A Fine and Private Place
• Elspeth Cameron, (1943- ) biographer
• Silver Donald Cameron (1937- )
• James Cameron (1910- ) poet and critic
• Phil Campagna
• Bliss Carman (1861-1929) poet, wrote Low Tide on Grand Pre
• David Carpenter
• Roch Carrier (1937- ) French-Canadian novelist and writer of short fiction, wrote La Guerre? Yes sir? also landmark childerns story The Sweater
• Anne Carson, (1950- )
• Gillian Chan
• Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761), first historian of New France.
• Wayson Choy (1939- )
• Leslie Choyce (1951- )
• Greg Clark (1892-1977), humourist
• Austin Clarke (1934- )
• George Elliott Clarke (1960- ) poet, U of T professor
• Lynn Coady (1970- )
• Leonard Cohen, (1934- ), poet and singer
• Matt Cohen (1942- )
• Samuel Nathan Cohen (1923-1971) drama critic
• Helena Coleman
• John Robert Columbo (1936- ), poet and compiler of reference books
• Karen Connelly (1969- )
• Ralph Conner (AKA Charles William Gordon), The Man from Glengarry, Glengarry School Days.
• George Ramsay Cook (1931- ), historian
• Hugh Cook (1942- )
• Michael Cook
• Dennis Cooley (1944- )
• Doug Cooper
• John Paul Copeland
• Thomas Costain (1885-1965), historical fiction
• Douglas Coupland, (born 1961), Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma
• Isabella Valancy Crawford
• Donald Creighton (1902-1979), historian
• Claude Cremazie (1827-1879), French-Canadian poet
• Lynn Crosbie daring prose stylist
• Lorna Crozier (1948- )
• Peter Cummings
• Alan Cumyn (1960- )
• Richard Cumyn
• Herb Curtis
• Leona Czwartkowski
• Annie Charlton Dalton

D

• Frank Davey (1940- )
• Robertson Davies, (1913-1995) wrote Fifth Business (1970), publisher, professor, journalist
• Mazo de la Roche (1879-1961), Jalna saga
• Sandra Dempsey
• Barry Dempster
• Alexander Dewdney computer science and philosophy
• Christopher Dewdney (1951- )
• Kildare Dobbs (1923- ) short story writer
• Don Domanski (1950- )
• Heather Down
• Candas Dorsey (1960- )
• William Henry Drummond, (1854-1907), poet, The habitant
• Réjean Ducharme (1941- )
• Louis Dudek (1918-2001), poet
• Dave Duncan (1933- )
• Margaret Dyment

E

• Howard Engel (1931- ), mystery writer
• Marian Engel (1933-1985), novelist
• C. J. Everon, (born 1971), historian and novelist: Justice Better Attained

F

• Emil Ludwig Fackenheim (1916-2003), historian, philosopher
• Edmundo Farolan
• Brian Fawcett
• Trevor Ferguson (1947- )
• Jacques Ferron (1921-1985), playwright
• Joy Fielding (1945- ), novelist
• B.K. Filson
• Timothy Findley, (1930-2002), Pilgrim
• Sheree Fitch
• Judith Fitzgerald
• Barbara Fletcher
• Helen Forrester (1919- ), novelist
• Cecil Foster
• Tess Fragoulis
• John Anderson Fraser (1944- ), author former editor of Saturday Night Magazine
• Raymond Fraser author of "Rum River", Costa Blanca", etc.
• Sylvia Fraser (1935- ), novelist
• Louis Fréchette, (1839-1908), poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist
• David French (1939- ), playwright
• Patrick Friesen
• Robert Froetsch
• Northrop Frye (1912-1991), influential critic, Shakespeare and Blake scholar
• Robert Fulford autodictat, journalist
• Nicola Furlong
• James V. Fusco

G

• Grover Gall
• Mavis Gallant (born 1922- )
• Francois Xavier Garneau (1809-1866), writer and historian
• Saint-Denys Garneau (1912-1943), poet
• Pauline Gedge (1945- ), novelist
• Graem C. Gibson (1934- ), novelist
• Margaret Gibson
• William Gibson (born 1948) Pioneering cyberpunk author, Neuromancer, All Tomorrow's Parties
• Joanna Glass
• Jacques Godbout
• David Godfrey
• Robert Goldsmith (1794-1861), first English-language Canadian poet
• Leona Gom
• Phyllis Gotlieb (1926- ), poet and science-fiction writer
• Sondra Gotlieb (1936- ), newspaper columnist
• Hiromi Goto
• Katherine Govier (1948- )
• Barbara Gowdy (1950- ) The Romantic; The White Bone and short stories
• Neile Graham
• George Grant (1918-1988), historian
• Grey Owl (1888-1938), conservationist
• John Grey
• Frederick Phillip Grove (1879-1948)
• Richard Grove
• Genni Gunn (1949- )
• Ralph Gustafson (1909-1995), poet
• Sandra Gwyn (1935- ), novelist

H

• Joan Haggerty
• Roderick Haig-Brown (1941- )
• Arthur Hailey (born 1920), indefatigable researcher, author of Hotel (1965), Airport (1968)
• Thomas Chandler Haliburton One of Canada's first authros, writer of The Clockmaker series
• Jane Hamilton
• Claire Harris (1937- )
• Marjorie Harris
• Elisabeth Harvor
• Barbara Haworth-Attard (1953- )
• Anne Hebert, Acadian author, educator Kamouraska
• Louis Hémon (1880-1913), novelist and journalist, Maria Chapdelaine
• John Herbert
• Tomson Highway (1951- ) native playwright Dry Lips Moved to Kapuskasing
• Robert Hilles (1951- )
• Jack Hodgins (1938- )
• Greg Hollingshead (1947- )
• Hugh Hood (1928-2000), Master work is 12 volume novel-series (The New Age).
• Cornelia Hoogland (1952- )
• Jan Horner
• Harold Horwood (1923- )
• Matt Hughes
• Bruce Hunter
• Catherine Hunter
• Maureen Hunter
• Nancy Huston (born 1953)
• Hazel Hutchins
• Bruce Hutchison

I

• Michael Ignatieff
• Susan Ioannou (1944- )
• Joan Irvine

J

• Donald Jack (1924-2003)
• J. Robert Janes (born 1932)
• K.V. Johansen (1968- )
• Pauline E. Johnson
• Andy Jones comedic playwright and performer
• Terry Jordan
• John Joyce

K

• Surjeet Kalsey
• Smaro Kamboureli
• Welwyn Wilton Katz
• Guy Gavriel Kay fantasy genre fiction
• Lionel Kearns (1937- )
• Adam Kidd
• Crawford Kilian
• Crad Kilodney
• W.P. Kinsella (1935- ), writes novels about baseball and natives Field of Dreams
• Thomas King (1943- )
• Alex Kizuk
• Raymond Knister
• Joy Kogawa, Obasan
• Lawrence Kootnikoff
• Gordon Korman
• Myrna Kostash
• Henry Kriesel
• Robert Kroetsch (1927- )
• Robert N.Kucey, (1940- )

L

• Tim Lander
• Patrick Lane (1939- ), poet
• Evelyn Lau (1971- )
• Margaret Laurence (1926 - 1987) novelist, wrote "The Stone Angel"
• Irving Layton (1912- )
• Stephen Leacock, (1869-1944), McGill University economics and political science prof. text book writer and intenational renowned humorist
• Dennis Lee (1939- ) - writer of children's poetry
• Sky Lee
• Mark Leiren-Young (1962- )
• John Lent
• Dorothy Livesay
• Malcolm Lowry, (1909-1957) wrote Under the Volcano in Canada (1947)

M

• Agnes Maule Machar
• Ann-Marie MacDonald
• Bernell MacDonald, (1950-)
• Hugh MacDonald
• Jake MacDonald
• Gwendolyn MacEwen
• Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
• Hugh MacLennan (1907 - 1990) novelist and essayist, wrote Two Solitudes and Barometer Rising
• Alistair MacLeod, (1936- )
• Antonine Maillet, Acadian author, educator
• Kevin Major (1949- )
• Eli Mandel
• Miriam Mandel
• Lee Maracle
• Daphne Marlatt (1942- )
• John Marlyn, (1912-1985)
• David Margoshes (1941- )
• Nicole Markotic
• Yann Martel, (born 1963), 2002 Booker Prize Winner
• Carol Matas (1949)
• Shirlee Smith Matheson
• Steve McCaffery
• Nellie McClung crusanding journalist, MP,
• John McCrae, (1872-1918), ("In Flanders' Fields")
• David McFadden
• James McIntyre, (1827-1906), the "Cheese Poet," known as the worst poet in Canadian history
• Don McKay poet
• Rhonda McLean
• Marshall McLuhan, (1911-1980), English professor and media studies author
• Susan McMaster
• Robert McNeil
• Sylvia McNicoll
• John Metcalf
• Anne Michaels
• Christine Michels
• Roy Miki
• Rohinton Mistry, (born 1952), Such a Long Journet, A Fine Balance
• Jane Mitchell
• Jared Mitchell
• W.O. Mitchell Who has Seen the Wind
• Lucy Maude Montgomery, (1874-1942), Anne of Green Gables
• Susanna Moodie (nee Strickland), (1803-1885), Roughing it in the Bush
• Brian Moore
• Keith Moreau, (born 1951), writer and illustrator of children's books like ABC Fun Things Book
• Edythe Morahan de Lauzon, poet
• Bernice Morgan
• Kim Morrisse
• Colin Morton
• Daniel David Moses
• Tara Moss (1973- ) - wrote Fetish
• Erin Moure
• Farley Mowat, (1921- ) Never Cry Wolf, My Discovery of America
• Karen Mulholland
• Robert Munsch - American born writer of children's stories
• Allison Muri
• Alice Munro, (1931- )
• John Murrell (playwright)
• Jai Murugan
• Susan Musgrave, poet

N

• Brian Nation
• Émile Nelligan, (1879-1941), French-Canadian poet
• John Newlove
• George D. Nicholls
• Kimberlley Nickmann
• bpNichol poet
• James Norman
• Alden Nowlan

O

• Sheldon Oberman
• Michael Ondaatje, (1943- ) wrote The English Patient (1993)
• Kenneth Oppel

P

• P.K. Page
• Len Peterson
• Marjorie Pickthall
• Ted Plantos
• Simone Poirier-Bures
• Daniel Poliquin
• Sharon Pollock
• Jacques Poulin, "The "Jimmy" Trilogy" (translated titled)
• E.J. Pratt poet
• Robert Priest poet
• E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News
• Jean Baptiste Proulx, (1846-1904), dramatist and essayist
• Al Purdy poet

Q

• Darlene Quaife
• Paul Quarrington

R

• Gurcharan Rampuri
• Nino Ricci
• David Adams Richards, (1950- )
• Mordecai Richler, (1931-2001) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959)
• Gwen Pharis Ringwood
• Sir Charles G.D. Roberts author of a number of "animal stories"
• Ken Roberts
• Paul William Roberts
• Spider Robinson American born Science-Fiction/humour writer, "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon"
• Don Rogalski
• Linda Rogers
• Leon Rooke
• Sinclair Ross renowned short story author
• Gabrielle Roy, (1909-1983)The Tin Flute
• George Ryga

S

• Rick Salutin political writer, essayist editor
• John Ralston Saul businessman, essayist, diplomat
• Robert J. Sawyer
• Andreas Schroeder
• Alvin Schwartz
• Shyam Selvadurai
• Robert Service poet of the Yukon
• Mark Shainblum
• Murphy O. Shewchuk
• Carol Shields, (1935-2003)
• Marsha Skrypush
• Joseph Skvorecky Chekoslovakian born Canadian novelist, English professor
• Beverly Slopen
• Esta Spalding
• Elizabeth Smart, (1913-1986)
• Russell Smith
• Taylor Smith
• Birk Sproxton (1943- )
• Richard Stevenson
• Kathy Stinson
• Anne Stone
• Samuel Strickland, (1804-1867) Twenty-seven Years in Canada West
• Rita Summers
• james L. Swanson
• Robert Sward
• Mark Swartz
• George Swede
• Anne Szumigalski

T

• Kevin Taylor
• Sharon Thesen
• Audrey Thomas
• Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946) wrote about the Canadian wilderness
• John Thompson
• Elizabeth Thornton
• Catherine Parr Traill (nee Strickland) (1802-1899), Life in the Backwoods of Canada
• Rhea Tregebov
• Michel Tremblay (born 1942)
• Dietmar Trommeshauser
• Maxine Trottier
• Stuart Douglas Trueman
• Elise Turcotte
• Michael Turner

U

• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), novelist

V

• W.D. Valgardson, The Girl with the Bottecelli Face
• Edo Van Belkom
• Guy Vanderhaeghe
• Kees Vanderhayden
• Brain Vanderlip
• Aritha Van Herk
• M.G. Vassanji

W

• David Watmough
• Fred Wah
• Bronwen Wallace
• Ted Warnell
• Alison Wearing
• Rudy Weibe
• John Weier
• Elizabeth Wellburn
• Frank Westcott
• Mavis West
• Thomas Wharton
• Diana Wieler
• Ethel Wilson, Swamp Angel, Hettie Dorval, "The Window"
• Rob Winger
• Beverly Wood
• George Woodcock (1912-1995), poet, critic and anarchist, author of Anarchism
• Patrick Woodcock
• lance Woolaver
• L.R. Wright

Z

• Robert L.J. Zenik
• Jan Zwicky