"
He was a genius - that is to say, a man who does superlatively and without obvious effort something that most people cannot do by the uttermost exertion of their abilities." -- Robertson Davies, from
Fifth Business (1913-1995) Harbourfront Centre 1989
Mark Kingwell, Daniel Poliquin and Jane Urquhart discuss the remarkable Canadians featured in their latest books, part of Penguin's Extraordinary Canadians series, with series-contributor Charlotte Gray.
Hang on to your ticket stub to be in with a chance to win $500 worth of books! There is a door prize at this event generously donated by
Penguin Group (Canada).
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One of Canada’s pre-eminent biographers, Charlotte Gray (Canada/UK) has won many awards, including the UBC Medal for Canadian Biography, the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction and the CAA Birks Family Foundation Award for Biography. Her bestselling book Sisters in the Wilderness was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award. She has also received the prestigious Pierre Berton Award for a body of historical writing. She is currently the Chair of Canada’s National History Society. Gray presents her latest work, Gold Diggers, recounting the days of the Yukon Gold Rush of 1896.
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Mark Kingwell is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, a contributing editor of Harper's, and the critically acclaimed author of ten previous books. He teaches and writes frequently about philosophy, design and architecture, and pop culture, and has lectured to academic and popular audiences around the world. Kingwell presents Glenn Gould, part of Penguin’s Extraordinary Canadians Series, which chronicles the life of the supremely gifted artist, Canada’s most renowned classical musician of the 20th century.
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Daniel Poliquin’s books include the Scotiabank Giller Prize-nominated The Secret Between Us, and In the Name of the Father: An Essay on Quebec Nationalism. A member of the Order of Canada, Poliquin worked for many years as a simultaneous translator in the House of Commons. As both a respected novelist and political essayist, he is also one of the few Canadian writers well known in both official languages. Poliquin recounts the tumultuous life of the journalist, broadcaster, and politician who changed Quebec and all of Canada forever, in René Lévesque – part of Penguin’s Extraordinary Canadians Series.
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Jane Urquhart is the internationally acclaimed author of three previous novels, a collection of short fiction, three books of poetry and a short biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery. She has received the Marian Engel Award and the Harbourfront Festival Prize, and is a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Urquhart’s new novel, Sanctuary Line, weaves elements from 19th century Ireland and Ontario to create a gradually unfolding story of events that come to irrevocably alter the future of one family.
