John Bemrose
Encyclopedia
John Bemrose is a Canadian
arts journalist
, novelist, poet and playwright.
His arts reviews have appeared in Maclean's
, The Globe and Mail
, the National Post
and on CBC Radio
.
John Bemrose was born and raised in Paris, Ontario
, where his father, Fred Bemrose, a 2009 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement, remains the town historian.
He graduated from the Victoria University in the University of Toronto
in 1970.
His debut novel
, The Island Walkers, was published in 2003.
It was a nominee for that year's Giller Prize.
He has also published a play, Mother Moon, and two volumes of poetry.
His second novel, "The Last Woman," was published Sept. 29, 2009 by McClelland & Stewart, a Random House affiliate in Canada.
It is set in Ontario's cottage country and is being touted by its publisher as a vehicle for the vivid characterizations for which he's become known.
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...
arts journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, novelist, poet and playwright.
His arts reviews have appeared in Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
and on CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
.
John Bemrose was born and raised in Paris, Ontario
Paris, Ontario
Paris, Ontario is a community on the Grand River in Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1850. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into that of the County of Brant, Ontario, thus ending about 149 years as a separate incorporated municipality.-History:The town was first settled in...
, where his father, Fred Bemrose, a 2009 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement, remains the town historian.
He graduated from the Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
in 1970.
His debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, The Island Walkers, was published in 2003.
It was a nominee for that year's Giller Prize.
He has also published a play, Mother Moon, and two volumes of poetry.
His second novel, "The Last Woman," was published Sept. 29, 2009 by McClelland & Stewart, a Random House affiliate in Canada.
It is set in Ontario's cottage country and is being touted by its publisher as a vehicle for the vivid characterizations for which he's become known.
Reviews
The Times Literary Supplement said in a review of The Island Walkers: "Bemrose’s characters […] live as real people live: contradictory, capable of kindness and disdain, of near-simultaneous love and hate, of gross betrayal….”Set in Northern Ontario, The Last Woman takes place in the summer of 1986 as the province is suffering its way through a drought that drains the water from rivers and lakes. “New reefs have surfaced,” the reader is told, “while in remote bays floating carpets of lily and arrowhead have given way to flats of dry mud.”