The Nobel committee has awarded Alice Munro with the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. The committee stated that she is a: “master of the contemporary short story”.  Furthermore, they explained that Munro is acclaimed for her finely tuned storytelling, which is characterized by clarity and psychological realism. Some critics consider her a Canadian Chekhov. In the Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature, her writing is described as being able to show the “surprising depth and complexity in the emotional lives of ordinary people.” REF PR 9180.2.094

Munro is primarily known for her short stories and has published many collections over the years. Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012).

If you would like to read some stories by Alice Munro, why not pick up Alice Munro’s Best: Selected Stories PR9199.3.M8 A6 or if you would like to learn more about Alice Munro, consider taking a look at the book Alice Munro: Paradox and Parallel  PR9199.3.M8 Z74 1987.

The Poet Laureate, Natasha Tretheway commenced her residency in January of this year, in Washington D.C. To find out more about this poet and previous Poet Laureates, see the Library of Congress website on Poetry and Literature.

If you are looking for other poetry resources, consider the following databases:

Literature Criticism Online featuring Critical literary analysis of authors and their works across a broad range of regions, eras, and genres. Includes Something About the Author Online and Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online.

Literature Resource Center featuring access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of more than 120,000 authors from every age and literary discipline.

Literary Index featuring a master index to Gale’s series for authors and literary criticism.

Access these databases by clicking on Databases (a subheading in the box called Find Books & Articles) on our main library page and then selecting the letter ‘L’. Scroll down to the database titles listed above.

Consortium Library Research Prize:

The Consortium Library Prize lauds an exemplary undergraduate research project from any discipline which demonstrates evidence of significant scholarly investigation and utilization of library resources, print and archival as well as electronic. The selected student will be officially recognized university-wide and will be honored with a $500 award. The winner(s) will be asked to present their project at the Undergraduate Research and Discovery Symposium.

To find out more about this exciting opportunity to showcase your work, see the Consortium Library Prize page.