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Canadian Literature

Biographies

Consult biographical dictionaries to get brief information about people, dates and events. Biographical dictionaries often contain lists of a writer's complete works, as well as lists of related secondary sources and criticism, including book-length biographies. For more sources, see Biographical Resources.

Writers

 
Contemporary Canadian Authors
REF PS8081 .C65t 1995
Bio-bibliographical guide to fiction, general non-fiction, poetry, drama.
 
Who's Who in Canadian Literature
REF PS8081 .W46 (1997-98)
 
Canadian Writers since 1960
REF PS8081 .C32
Part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography; has 2 volumes.
 
Canadian Writers, 1920-1959
REF PS8081 .C312
Part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography; has 2 volumes.
 
Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Authors and Their Works (Compact Shelving)
Z1224 .C76
 
Covers authors of fiction, general non-fiction, poetry, journalism, drama, film, television, and other fields. Title and call number varies for the period 1962-1981.
REF Z1224 .C592.
Related title: Contemporary Authors. New Revision Series
 
Dictionnaire des ecrivains Quebecois contemporains (Special Collections)
PS9081 .L44 1983
 
Manuscript collections and biographical information on Canadian writers Marie-Claire Blais, Roger Lemelin, Carol Shields, Michel Tremblay, Jane Urquhart, and Elizabeth Smart.

Fiction Authors

ECW's Biographical Guide to Canadian Novelists
REF PS8081 .E28 1993
 
Canadian Writers and Their Works: fiction series
REF PS8187. C36
In 10 volumes.

Poets

ECW's Biographical Guide to Canadian Poets
REF PS8081 .E33 1993
 
Canadian Writers and their Works: poetry series
REF PS8141. C36
10 volume series.
 
Who's Who in the League of Canadian Poets
REF PS8081 .L43 1999
 
Canadian Poetry (University of Toronto)
Biographical information on 19th-century and contemporary Canadian poets.
 
101 poetes en Quebec
PS9295 .5 .Q4 .C46 1995

Dramatists

Directory of Canadian Plays and Playwrights
PS8081 .P528 2003
Most recent editions (2003-2005) held at Stauffer Library and Special Collections. 
 
Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia (Athabasca University)
A database of current and historical information on Canadian actors, playwrights, directors, producers, and designers.

Featured Resource

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography documents persons who died between the years 1000 and 1930 (covering volumes 1-XV of the ongoing print version) or whose last known date of activity falls within these years.

From 1930 to 2000, there is limited biographical coverage.