Engel, Marian (1933–1985)

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Engel, Marian (1933–1985)

Canadian novelist and short-story writer. Born Marian Passmore, May 24, 1933, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; died 1985; dau. of Frederick Searle (teacher) and Mary (Fletcher) Passmore; McMaster University, BA, 1955; McGill University, MA, 1957; m. Howard Engel (broadcaster), 1962 (div. 1977); children: (twins) William and Charlotte.

Major Canadian writer, also lived in London, Aix-en-Province, Nicosia, and Cyprus; novels include No Clouds of Glory (1968), The Honeyman Festival (1970), Joanne (1975), Bear (1976), The Glassy Sea (1978), and Lunatic Villas (1981); short fiction includes Inside the Easter Egg (1975) and The Tattooed Woman (1985); also published 2 children's books, Adventure at Moon Bay Towers (1974) and My Name is Not Odessa Yorker (1977), and nonfiction book Islands of Canada (1981). Awards include Governor General's Award for Fiction for Bear; made an officer of the Order of Canada (1982).

See also Christi Verduyn and Kathleen Garay, Marian Engel: Life in Letters (University of Toronto Press, 2004).