14 Facts About Gwendolyn MacEwen

Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen was a Canadian poet and novelist.

Gwendolyn MacEwen grew up in the High Park area of the city, and attended Western Technical-Commercial School.

Gwendolyn MacEwen married poet Milton Acorn, 19 years her senior, in 1962, although they divorced two years later.

Gwendolyn MacEwen published over twenty books, in a variety of genres.

Gwendolyn MacEwen wrote numerous radio docudramas for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including a "much-admired radio drama", Terror and Erebus, in 1965 which featured music by Terry Rusling.

Gwendolyn MacEwen taught herself to read Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and French, and translated writers from each of those languages.

Gwendolyn MacEwen served as writer in residence at the University of Western Ontario in 1985, and the University of Toronto in 1986 and 1987.

Gwendolyn MacEwen died in 1987, at the age of 46, of health problems related to alcoholism.

Gwendolyn MacEwen won the Governor General's Award in 1969 for her poetry collection The Shadow Maker.

Gwendolyn MacEwen was awarded a second Governor General's Award posthumously in 1987 for Afterworlds.

Gwendolyn MacEwen's writing has been translated into many languages including Chinese, French, German, and Italian.

Fictional tributes to MacEwen have been published by Margaret Atwood, and Lorne S Jones.

Gwendolyn MacEwen MacEwan attended the Massey Hall performances and was deeply struck by the music's setting of her work.

Twenty years later a documentary film by Brenda Longfellow, Shadow Maker: Gwendolyn MacEwen, Poet, was made in 1998 and won the Genie Award for Best Short Documentary.