Howard O'Hagan (February 17, 1902 – September 18, 1982) was a Canadian writer.[1] One of the first significant writers to have been born in Western Canada, he was most noted for his 1939 novel Tay John.[2]

Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, O'Hagan worked as a surveyor in the Canadian Rockies as a young adult before studying law at McGill University; however, once graduating he practiced law for only a month before leaving the occupation and returning to work as a mountain guide.[1] He subsequently worked for a time as head of publicity for the Central Argentine Railway.[1]

He was married to artist Margaret Peterson, with whom he resided in a variety of international locations before settling in Victoria, British Columbia.[1]

Tay John, his most significant published work, was a fictionalized account of the life of Tête Jaune, an Iroquois fur trader who was a significant figure in the development of the Canadian West.[2] His later works included Wilderness Men (1958), The Woman Who Got on at Jasper Station and Other Stories (1963) and The School Marm Tree (1977).[3]

Following O'Hagan's death, Tay John was reissued by McClelland and Stewart's New Canadian Library series in 1989,[4] and the Writers Guild of Alberta created the Howard O'Hagan Award for Short Fiction to honour short story collections published by Alberta writers.[5]

Works

  • Tay John (1939)
  • Wilderness Men (1958)
  • The Woman Who Got on at Jasper Station and Other Stories (1963)
  • The School Marm Tree (1977)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ken Mitchell, "Howard O'Hagan". The Canadian Encyclopedia, April 10, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Ella Tanner, Tay John and the Cyclical Quest: The Shape of Art and Vision in Howard O'Hagan. ECW Press, 1990. ISBN 9781550221305.
  3. ↑ John Thompson, "Charting the wilderness - in reality, in man, in human relationships". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1978.
  4. ↑ Douglas Hill, "Spring cleanings". The Globe and Mail, May 20, 1989.
  5. ↑ Gordon Morash, "Hollingshead spins a pair of winning books; Edmonton and Calgary split 50/50 for Writers Guild of Alberta awards". Edmonton Journal, May 16, 1993.
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