John Alexander Wilson (born August 3, 1951, in Edinburgh, Scotland)[1] is a Canadian author of historical fiction and non-fiction.[2] He is the author of over 30 books, 300 articles and essays, and 30 poems.
John Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Alexander Wilson August 3, 1951 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Canadian (formerly British) |
| Education | University of St. Andrews (BSc, 1975) |
| Period | 1987 to present |
| Genre | Historical Fiction, Non-fiction |
| Notable works | Four Steps to Death |
| Spouse | Jenifer Mary Wilson |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| johnwilsonauthor | |
Biography
editWilson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 3, 1951, to James Annan and Evelyn Victoria Marguerite Wilson.[1] He grew up on the Island of Skye, and in Paisley.[3]
In 1975, Wilson received a Bachelor of Science with honours in geology from the University of St Andrews.[1] After graduation, he worked as a geologist in Zimbabwe before moving to Canada.[3] For nine years, he worked for the Alberta Geological Survey in Edmonton.[3]
In 1991, Wilson began writing full-time.[3]
Wilson now lives in Lantzville on Vancouver Island.[citation needed] He is married to Jenifer Mary Wilson and has three children: Sarah, Fiona, and Iain.[1]
Awards and honours
editA Soldier’s Sketchbook and Death on the River are Junior Library Guild selections.[4][5]
In 2017, the Chicago Public Library named A Soldier’s Sketchbook one of the best Informational Books for Older Readers of the year.[4]
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Across Frozen Seas | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] |
| Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist | |||
| 2002 | Righting Wrongs | Norma Fleck Award | Finalist | [7] |
| 2004 | Discovering the Arctic | Norma Fleck Award | Finalist | [7] |
| Dancing Elephants and Floating Continents | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist | ||
| 2005 | Flames of the Tiger | Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award | Nominee | [8] |
| 2006 | Four Steps to Death | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] |
| Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist | |||
| 2007 | The Alchemist's Dream | Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature | Finalist | |
| Four Steps to Death | Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award | Nominee | [9] | |
| Red Goodwin | Forest of Reading Red Maple Award | Finalist | [10][11] | |
| Where Soldiers Lie | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] | |
| 2008 | The Alchemist's Dream | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] |
| Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist | |||
| Where Soldiers Lie | Forest of Reading Red Maple Award | Finalist | [10][11] | |
| 2010 | Crusade | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] |
| 2012 | Shot at Dawn | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Finalist | [6] |
| Written in Blood | Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award | Nominee | [12] | |
| 2016 | Wings of War | Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award | Nominee | [13] |
Publications
editFiction
edit- Across Frozen Seas (1997)
- Adrift in Time (2003)
- Dancing Elephants and Floating Continents: The Story of Canada Beneath Your Feet (2003)
- Ghosts of James Bay (2006)
- Red Goodwin (2006)
- The Alchemist's Dream (2007)
- Lost Cause (2012)
- The Ruined City (2018)
- The Third Act (2018)
Caught in Conflict collection
edit- Lost in Spain (1999)
- And in the Morning... (2002)
- Flames of the Tiger (2003)
- The Flags of War (2004)
- Battle Scars (2005)
- Four Steps to Death (2005)
- Where Soldiers Lie (2007)
- Germania (2008)
- Death on the River (2009)
Desert Legends trilogy
edit- Written in Blood (2010)
- Ghost Moon (2011)
- Victorio's War (2012)
Heretic's Secret trilogy
edit- Crusade / Heretic (2009)
- Quest / Grail (2010)
- Rebirth (2013)
I Am Canada books
edit- Shot at Dawn: World War I, Allan McBride, France, 1917 (2011)
- Graves of Ice (2014)
Steve series
edit- The Missing Skull (2016)
- Lost Cause (2012)
- Broken Arrow (2014)
Stolen duo
edit- Stolen (2013)
- Bones (2014)
Tales of War trilogy
edit- Wings of War (2014)
- Dark Terror (2015)
- A Dangerous Game (2016)
Weet trilogy
edit- Weet (1995)
- Weet's Quest (1997)
- Weet Alone (1999)
Non-Fiction
edit- Norman Bethune: A Life of Passionate Conviction (1999)
- Righting Wrongs: The Story of Norman Bethune (2001)
- Discovering the Arctic: The Story of John Rae (2003)
- Desperate Glory: The Story of WWI (2008)
- Bitter Ashes: The Story of WWII (2009)
- Ghost Mountains and Vanished Oceans: North America from Birth to Middle Age (2009)
- Failed Hope: The Story of the Lost Peace (2012)
- The Final Alchemy: A Novel of Murder, Magic and the Search for the Northwest Passage (2012)
- John Franklin: Traveller on Undiscovered Seas
- Lands of Lost Content (2020)
- A Man Exact and Truthful: John Rae and the Northwest Passage (2022)
- The Journal of James Fitzjames (2022)
Poetry
edit- Love, Death and Nonsense: A Diversity of Verse (2022)
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Wilson, John 1951- (John Alexander Wilson)". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "John Wilson". WorldCat.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d "About John". John Wilson. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b "A Soldier's Sketchbook: The Illustrated First World War Diary of R.H. Rabjohn by John Wilson". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Death on the River by John Wilson". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e f "Previous Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Winners and Finalists". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b "Previous Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction Winners and Finalists". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ "2005". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "2007". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ a b "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, 7 to 12 Programs: Red Maple Winners & Nominees, 1998-2023". Queen's University Library. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
- ^ a b Ontario Library Association. "Red Maple Award™ Winners and Nominees 1998–2021" (PDF). Forest of Reading. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ "2012". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "2016 Nominees". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
