Tom Walmsley
Encyclopedia
Tom Walmsley is a Canadian
playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter.
Born in Liverpool, Walmsley came to Canada with his family in 1952, and was raised in Oshawa, Ontario
and Lorraine, Quebec
. He dropped out of high school and battled addictions as a young adult.
In addition to his plays, Walmsley was the winner of the first Three-Day Novel Contest
in 1979 for his novel Doctor Tin. He later published a sequel, Shades, and another unrelated novel, Kid Stuff. Walmsley wrote the screenplay for Jerry Ciccoritti
's film Paris, France
in 1993. Ciccoritti also later adapted Walmsley's play Blood into a film.
Walmsley's style of writing ranges from the naturalistic to the poetic and, at times, the absurd. He moves easily between dramatic and comedic, and some of his "darkest" work is treated with a cutting sense of humour. His most common themes include sex (both hetero- and homosexual, often involving sado-masochistic fetishes, adulterous affairs, and, in the case of Blood, incest), violence, addiction (to alcohol and heroin in particular), and God (from a Christian perspective). He rarely deals with politics directly, although he openly displays a distaste for middle-class morality.
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...
playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter.
Born in Liverpool, Walmsley came to Canada with his family in 1952, and was raised in Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
and Lorraine, Quebec
Lorraine, Quebec
Lorraine is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles in the Regional County Municipality of Thérèse-de-Blainville. There are no industries and only a very limited commercial district ; almost all houses are of the detached type...
. He dropped out of high school and battled addictions as a young adult.
In addition to his plays, Walmsley was the winner of the first Three-Day Novel Contest
Three-Day Novel Contest
The Three-Day Novel Contest is an annual Canadian literary contest conducted in September of each year. The contest, which is open to writers from anywhere in the world, gives entrants three days to write a novel...
in 1979 for his novel Doctor Tin. He later published a sequel, Shades, and another unrelated novel, Kid Stuff. Walmsley wrote the screenplay for Jerry Ciccoritti
Jerry Ciccoritti
Jerry Ciccoritti is a Canadian film, television and theatre director. His ability to work in a number of genres and for many mediums has made him one of the most successful directors in the country.- Biography :...
's film Paris, France
Paris, France (film)
Paris, France is a 1993 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Jerry Ciccoritti and written by Tom Walmsley.-Plot:Lucy is a frustrated erotic novelist exploring whether a weekend of sexual passion with Sloan , a bisexual poet, can liberate her from writer's block.-Cast:* Leslie Hope as Lucy* Peter...
in 1993. Ciccoritti also later adapted Walmsley's play Blood into a film.
Walmsley's style of writing ranges from the naturalistic to the poetic and, at times, the absurd. He moves easily between dramatic and comedic, and some of his "darkest" work is treated with a cutting sense of humour. His most common themes include sex (both hetero- and homosexual, often involving sado-masochistic fetishes, adulterous affairs, and, in the case of Blood, incest), violence, addiction (to alcohol and heroin in particular), and God (from a Christian perspective). He rarely deals with politics directly, although he openly displays a distaste for middle-class morality.
Plays
- The Workingman, 1975
- The Jones Boy, 1977
- Something Red, 1978
- White Boys, 1982
- Getting Wrecked, 1985
- Mr. Nice Guy, 1985
- Maxine, 1995
- Blood, 1995 (ISBN 1896239641)
- Delirium, 2006
- 3 Squares a Day, 2006
- Descent, 2006
Poetry
- Rabies, 1975
- Lexington Hero, 1977
- Sin, 2005
- Honeymoon in Berlin, 2005
- What Happened, 2007
Novels
- Doctor Tin, 1979 (ISBN 0-88978-254-7)
- Shades, 1992 (ISBN 0889782547)
- Kid Stuff, 2004 (ISBN 1551521539)
- "Dog Eat Rat", 2009 (978-1-894469-42-5)