Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Encyclopedia
Gail Kathryn Anderson-Dargatz (née Anderson) (born November 14, 1963) is a Canadian
novelist.
Anderson-Dargatz was born in Salmon Arm
, British Columbia
and studied creative writing at the University of Victoria
Her first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning (1996), was an experimental yet accessible work whose story unfolded partly through narrative and partly through a collection of recipes and household tips belonging to the narrator's mother. It was a Canadian bestseller that year, making Anderson-Dargatz one of the most popular new names in Canadian literature
. The novel was nominated for the Giller Prize and was awarded the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
. Her novels are unique, but can be compared on some degree to those of Isabel Allende
, Barbara Kingsolver
, Alice Munro
and Anne Tyler
.
Her latest novel, Turtle Valley (2007), is set near Salmon Arm during a forest fire and tells the story of Kat, a woman who faces the challenge of simultaneously caring for her aging parents, young child and ill husband. It was inspired by the 1998 Salmon Arm fire, which the author had to evacuate her parents from. A major focus of the novel is "to give an unflinching portrait of the caregiver, how very hard it is on the caregiver and on all family relationships."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist.
Anderson-Dargatz was born in Salmon Arm
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
-Climate:- Education :Public schools in Salmon Arm are part of School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap; within the city limits, there are currently five elementary schools , one middle school , and a secondary school with two campuses...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and studied creative writing at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
Her first novel, The Cure for Death by Lightning (1996), was an experimental yet accessible work whose story unfolded partly through narrative and partly through a collection of recipes and household tips belonging to the narrator's mother. It was a Canadian bestseller that year, making Anderson-Dargatz one of the most popular new names in Canadian literature
Canadian literature
Canadian literature is literature originating from Canada. Collectively it is often called CanLit. Some criticism of Canadian literature has focused on nationalistic and regional themes, although this is only a small portion of Canadian Literary criticism...
. The novel was nominated for the Giller Prize and was awarded the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada....
. Her novels are unique, but can be compared on some degree to those of Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean writer with American citizenship. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the "magic realist" tradition, is famous for novels such as The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts , which have been commercially successful...
, Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the former Republic of Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before...
, Alice Munro
Alice Munro
Alice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize...
and Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler
Anne Tyler is an American novelist.Tyler, the eldest of four children, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father was a chemist and her mother a social worker. Her early childhood was spent in a succession of Quaker communities in the mountains of North Carolina and in Raleigh...
.
Her latest novel, Turtle Valley (2007), is set near Salmon Arm during a forest fire and tells the story of Kat, a woman who faces the challenge of simultaneously caring for her aging parents, young child and ill husband. It was inspired by the 1998 Salmon Arm fire, which the author had to evacuate her parents from. A major focus of the novel is "to give an unflinching portrait of the caregiver, how very hard it is on the caregiver and on all family relationships."
Novels
- The Cure for Death by Lightning (1996) - ISBN 0-385-72047-5
- A Recipe for Bees (1998) - ISBN 0-385-72048-3
- A Rhinestone Button (2002) - ISBN 0-676-97550-X/ISBN 0-676-97549-6
- Turtle Valley (2007) - ISBN 0-676-97886-X