- Born:
- March 12, 1951, Santa Cruz, California, U.S. (age 75)
Susan Musgrave
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Who is Susan Musgrave?
Susan Musgrave (born in Santa Cruz, California, on March 12, 1951) is an American-born Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist. Being nominated multiple times for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, she is one of Canada’s most prominent writers.
Her interest in West Coast mythologies and militant feminism are reflected in her first novel, The Charcoal Burners (1980). Other works include The Dancing Chicken (1987), Cargo of Orchids (2000), and Given (2012). She also wrote several children’s books, such as Gullband (1974), Hag’s Head (1980), and Kestrel and Leonardo (1991).
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Where was Susan Musgrave born and what is her nationality?
Susan Musgrave was born in Santa Cruz, California, U.S., on March 12, 1951. Although American-born, she is a Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist and is considered one of Canada’s most prominent writers.
Musgrave's literary works include novels such as The Charcoal Burners (1980), The Dancing Chicken (1987), Cargo of Orchids (2000), and Given (2012). She has also written children's books, collections of essays, and newspaper columns.
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What types of writing is Susan Musgrave known for?
Susan Musgrave is an American-born Canadian author known for her work as a poet, novelist, and essayist.
Musgrave's writings often show her interest in West Coast mythologies and militant feminism. Her novels include The Charcoal Burners, The Dancing Chicken, Cargo of Orchids, and Given. Additionally, she has written children’s books, such as Gullband, Hag’s Head, Kestrel and Leonardo, Dreams More Real Than Bathtubs, and Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle Hug. Her essays and humorous newspaper columns are compiled in Great Musgrave, Musgrave Landing: Musings on the Writing Life, and You’re In Canada Now…: A Memoir of Sorts. In 2015, she released A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World.
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What are some of Susan Musgrave's most famous books or poems?
Susan Musgrave, born in the U.S., is a celebrated Canadian writer known for her poetry, novels, and essays.
Her notable works include the novels The Charcoal Burners (1980), reflecting West Coast mythologies and militant feminism, The Dancing Chicken (1987), a darkly satiric novel, Cargo of Orchids (2000), and Given (2012). Musgrave has also written children's books, such as Gullband (1974), a series of poems, Hag’s Head (1980), Kestrel and Leonardo (1991), Dreams More Real Than Bathtubs (1998), and Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle Hug (2012). Her essay collections include Great Musgrave (1989), Musgrave Landing: Musings on the Writing Life (1994), You’re In Canada Now…: A Memoir of Sorts (2005), and A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World (2015).
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How do themes like nature and Canadian culture appear in Susan Musgrave's work?
Susan Musgrave's work frequently explores themes of nature and Canadian culture. Her initial collection of poems, Songs of the Sea-Witch (1970), presents a poetic figure navigating a vibrant, mythological environment.
Kiskatinaw Songs (1979), created in collaboration with Sean Virgo, draws inspiration from the legends and songs of British Columbia's West Coast Aboriginal communities, reflecting Canadian cultural elements. Musgrave's writings also demonstrate an interest in West Coast mythologies, further solidifying the presence of nature and Canadian culture in her literary works.
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What awards or recognition has Susan Musgrave received for her writing?
Susan Musgrave is an American-born Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist. She is considered one of Canada’s most prominent writers and has been nominated multiple times for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Her work includes novels such as The Charcoal Burners (1980), The Dancing Chicken (1987), Cargo of Orchids (2000), and Given (2012). Musgrave has also written children’s books, including Gullband (1974), Hag’s Head (1980), Kestrel and Leonardo (1991), Dreams More Real Than Bathtubs (1998), and Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle Hug (2012).
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Susan Musgrave (born March 12, 1951, Santa Cruz, California, U.S.) is an American-born Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist who is one of Canada’s most prominent writers, nominated multiple times for Governor General’s Literary Awards.
Early life and poetry
Musgrave left school at 14 and had poems published in The Malahat Review at 16. Her first book of poems, Songs of the Sea-Witch (1970), introduced many of her subsequent themes, with a poetic persona searching for an identity against a mythological and animated landscape. The Impstone (1976), a series of gothic poems, similarly evokes an animistic natural world with sometimes violent imagery, and Kiskatinaw Songs (1979, with Sean Virgo) is based on the legends and songs of West Coast Aboriginal peoples. Her poems often explore the difficulty of human relationships, in works such as A Man to Marry, A Man to Bury (1979) and Things That Keep and Do Not Change (1999). Other volumes include Obituary of Light: The Sangan River Meditations (2009) and Origami Dove (2011).
Fiction and essays
Musgrave’s interest in West Coast mythologies and militant feminism are reflected in her first novel, The Charcoal Burners (1980); her second, The Dancing Chicken (1987), is a darkly satiric novel with highly eccentric characters. The Dancing Chicken was followed by Cargo of Orchids (2000) and Given (2012). She also wrote several children’s books: Gullband (1974), a series of poems; Hag’s Head (1980), a Halloween story; Kestrel and Leonardo (1991); Dreams More Real Than Bathtubs (1998); and Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle Hug (2012). Her essays and humorous newspaper columns are collected in Great Musgrave (1989), Musgrave Landing: Musings on the Writing Life (1994), and You’re In Canada Now…: A Memoir of Sorts (2005). In 2015 she published A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World.
Marriage to Stephen Reid
In 1983 Musgrave read the manuscript for the novel that would eventually be published as Jackrabbit Parole (1986), by Stephen Reid, a convicted bank robber and member of the Stopwatch Gang serving an 18-year sentence in Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ontario. Musgrave and Reid were married in the prison on October 12, 1986. The following year Reid was granted full parole. The CBC ran a documentary on their relationship, The Poet and the Bandit, which aired in January 1999. In June of that same year, Reid was arrested for bank robbery in Victoria, British Columbia, and in December he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. For several years of his sentence, he was granted day parole, and he was given statutory release in 2015. Reid died in 2018.
Honours
Musgrave was the recipient of the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of A Writing Life, Writer’s Trust of Canada (2014), given in memory of Matt Cohen.
The original version of this entry was published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .