Marq de Villiers
Encyclopedia
Marq de Villiers, CM
is an award-winning Canadian
writer
and journalist
. He now chiefly writes non-fiction books on scientific topics. In the past he also worked as a magazine editor and foreign correspondent.
. They often collaborate together on books.
He won a Governor General's Award in 1999 for his Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource, and the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non Fiction for A Dune Adrift, a book on Sable Island, written with Sheila Hirtle. His Witch in the Wind: The True Story of the Legendary Bluenose, published in 2007, won the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-fiction as well as the Dartmouth Book Award for Non-fiction. Timbuktu: The Sahara's Fabled City of Gold, was published in the fall of 2007, and his most recent book, Dangerous World, was published by Penguin in spring 2008 and by Thomas Dunne-St. Martin's Press in the U.S., under the title, The End. In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
. In 2011 his book, Our Way Out was published, dealing with the problems surrounding climate change, and possible solutions.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
is an award-winning Canadian
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and 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...
. He now chiefly writes non-fiction books on scientific topics. In the past he also worked as a magazine editor and foreign correspondent.
Biography
Marq de Villiers was born in 1940 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He and his wife, the writer Sheila Hirtle live in Eagle Head, Nova ScotiaEagle Head, Nova Scotia
Eagle Head is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Region of Queens Municipality .-References:*...
. They often collaborate together on books.
He won a Governor General's Award in 1999 for his Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource, and the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non Fiction for A Dune Adrift, a book on Sable Island, written with Sheila Hirtle. His Witch in the Wind: The True Story of the Legendary Bluenose, published in 2007, won the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-fiction as well as the Dartmouth Book Award for Non-fiction. Timbuktu: The Sahara's Fabled City of Gold, was published in the fall of 2007, and his most recent book, Dangerous World, was published by Penguin in spring 2008 and by Thomas Dunne-St. Martin's Press in the U.S., under the title, The End. In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 2011 his book, Our Way Out was published, dealing with the problems surrounding climate change, and possible solutions.
Selected publications
- White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots As Witnessed by Eight Generations of an Afrikaner Family (1987)
- Down the Volga in a Time of Troubles: A Journey Revealing the People and Heartland of Post-Perestroika Russia (1992)
- The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir (1994)
- Closer to the Sun: An Autobiography (with Garth DrabinskyGarth DrabinskyGarth Howard Drabinsky, OC is a former Canadian film and theatrical producer and entrepreneur. In 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to prison for fraud and forgery. His sentence is stayed, pending appeal.-Biography:...
) (1995) - Blood Traitors (with Sheila Hirtle) (1997)
- Into Africa: A Journey through the Ancient Empires (with Sheila Hirtle) (1997)
- Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource (2001)
- Guide to America's Outdoors: Eastern Canada (2001)
- Sahara: A National History (with Sheila Hirtle) (2002)
- The Witch in the Wind: The True Story of the Legendary Bluenose (2007)
- Dangerous world: natural disasters, manmade catastrophes, and the future of human survival (2008)
- Our Way Out: First Principles for a Post-Apocalyptic World (2011)