Alice Munro (1931 – )

Alice Munro was born on 10 July 1931 in Wingham, Ontario.  Her father was a farmer and her mother was a teacher.  She grew up in Ontario and her development as a short-story writer is based, in her own words, on memories or anecdotes that often disappear or are barely visible in the completed story.  She has been the recipient of many accolades for her writing:  to name just two, the Man Booker International Prize in 2009 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013.  The Man Booker is awarded every two years to a “living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage”.  The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Munro for her work as a “master of the contemporary short story”.  Her writing is marked by themes of relationship problems and moral conflicts.  The stories are challenging to the reader but also richly rewarding.
______________________contributed by MML