Budge Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Budge Marjorie Archibald (1927-05-02)May 2, 1927 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | March 19, 2021(2021-03-19) (aged 93) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Dalhousie University |
| Notable works | Before Green Gables,The Metaphor |
Budge Marjorie WilsonCM ONS (néeArchibald; May 2, 1927 – March 19, 2021) was a Canadian writer. She was noted for her work inchildren's literature.
Wilson started her career in writing in her fifties. Her first book was published in 1984, when she was 56. In total she wrote more than thirty books, mostly children's books, won several awards, and was a recipient of theOrder of Canada and theOrder of Nova Scotia.
Wilson was born inHalifax, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 1927. Her father, Maynard Brown Archibald, was a judge; her mother was Helen MacGregor Archibald.[1] Wilson studied philosophy and psychology atDalhousie University, graduating with aBachelor of Arts in 1949.[1][2] She then undertookpostgraduate studies at theUniversity of Toronto from 1949 to 1951. She obtained aDiploma of Education in 1953, as well as a certificate inphysical education.[1]
Wilson's first job was as a teacher of English and art atHalifax Ladies’ College for one year starting in 1951. She was subsequently employed by theInstitute of Child Study at theUniversity of Toronto from 1953 until 1957. There, she was responsible for filing, editing, and art work. After stints at theToronto Public Library andAcadia University nursing school, Wilson went back to teaching in 1968. She became a fitness instructor at thePeterborough County Board of Education andYoung Women’s Association in Peterborough, working in that capacity until 1987.[1]
Wilson delved into writing full time starting in 1978.[1] She published her first book,The Best/Worst Christmas Present Ever,[2] in 1984 at the age of 56.[1] She recounted that writing during the six-year interval was a challenge, describing how she was "getting pretty discouraged" by the fifth year.[2] As of 2011 she had written 33 books.[3] These include the prequelBefore Green Gables, a celebratory centennial release to theAnne of Green Gables series.[4] It became the largest-ever foreign rights sale forPenguin Canada,[2] and was eventually adapted into an animated series in Japan titledKon'nichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables.[1] Wilson also authoredThe Leaving, a collection of short stories[5] that won first prize in theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation's Literary Competition for Adult Short Story in 1991.[2][6] It won theCanadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and theCity of Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction that same year,[6] and went on to be listed as one of "The 75 best children's books of the last 25 years" by theAmerican Library Association in 1994. It was also shortlisted for theCommonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book in the Canada–Caribbean Region.[1]
Other noted works of Wilson's includeLorinda's Diary andThirteen Never Changes (1991).[5][6] She dedicated her bookFractures (2002) to both her eleventh grade teacher and her English professor at Dalhousie.[2] One of her final works wasAfter Swissair (2016), a poetry collection chronicling the aftermath of the crash ofSwissair Flight 111 off the coast of Nova Scotia on September 2, 1998.[5]
Wilson received numerous awards for her work[4] that include: 23Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" selections, a Marianna Dempster Award, twoAnn Connor Brimer Awards, aCanadian Authors Association Lilla Stirling Award, a National IODE (Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire) Violet Downey Award, an Atlantic Independent Booksellers Award, and an IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour Award. She was appointed a Member of theOrder of Canada in 2004,[7] and received theOrder of Nova Scotia in 2011.[3] One year later, Wilson received theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[8]
Wilson received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (2010)[2][9] andMount Saint Vincent University (2012).[10]
Wilson married Alan Wilson in 1953. They met while studying at Dalhousie together.[11] He was the founding chair of the Departments of History and Canadian Studies atTrent University.[12] They had two children.[11]
After living inPeterborough, Ontario, for 33 years,[1] Wilson and her husband went back to Nova Scotia in 1989 and resided inNorthwest Cove onSt. Margarets Bay. During her later years, they moved into a retirement facility in Halifax.[5]
Wilson died on March 19, 2021, at a hospital in Halifax. She was 93, and suffered from complications from a fall earlier that month.[5]
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