Hugh MacLennan (1907–1990)
Author of Two Solitudes
About the Author
John Hugh MacLennan was born in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on March 20, 1907. He was educated at Dalhousie University, Oxford University, and Princeton University. He taught English at Lower Canada College and McGill University. His first book, Barometer Rising, was published in 1941. His show more other works included Each Man's Son, Return of the Sphinx, Voices in Time, and The Other Side of Hugh MacLennan. He won the Governor General's Literary Award three times for fiction for Two Solitudes, The Precipice, and The Watch that Ends the Night and twice for nonfiction for Cross-Country and Thirty and Three. He also won a Royal Bank Award in 1984 and in 1987 he became the first Canadian to receive Princeton University's James Madison Medal. He died on November 7, 1990. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery (image use requires permission from the New York Public Library)
Works by Hugh MacLennan
Seven rivers of Canada: the Mackenzie, the St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, the Red, the Saskatchewan, the Fraser, the St.… (1961) 39 copies, 1 review
Man Should Rejoice, by Hugh MacLennan: A Critical Edition (Canadian Literature Collection) (2019) 4 copies
Thirty and Three 3 copies
The Hugh MacLennan papers : an inventory of the archive at the University of Calgary Libraries (1986) 2 copies
AN ORANGE FROM PORTUGAL 1 copy
Associated Works
Cavalcade of the North: An Entertaining Collection of Distinguished Writing by Canadian Authors (1958) — Contributor — 67 copies, 1 review
Visions from the Edge: An Anthology of Atlantic Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy (1981) — Contributor — 10 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- MacLennan, John Hugh
- Birthdate
- 1907-03-20
- Date of death
- 1990-11-09
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Canada
- Country (for map)
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Place of death
- Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Places of residence
- Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Montréal, Québec, Canada
North Hatley, Québec, Canada - Education
- Dalhousie University
Oxford University
Princeton University - Occupations
- professor
- Organizations
- Lower Canada College
- Awards and honors
- Order of Canada (Companion, 1967)
National Order of Quebec (Chevalier, 1986)
Lorne Pierce Medal (1952)
Molson Prize (1966)
Members
Reviews
Barometer Rising (New Canadian Library) by Hugh MacLennan
Excellent novel based on a real event - the Halifax harbour explosion of 1917.
A good first novel from my favorite Canadian author. Really brings you back to the era and the first hand account of the explosion I think is uncanny seems like the author witnessed the events.
A classic novel on the immiscible French and English cultures of Canada.
3.25 stars
It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Penny (a woman working at the shipyard – very unusual for the time)’s love (and cousin) has been at war and he’s missing. They all think he’s dead. So, when Angus (much older than Penny) asks her to marry him, she accepts. Only days later, the Halifax Harbour goes up in an explosion.
The book only follows just over one week. It took longer than I liked to get to the explosion. Leading up to it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the explosion itself and the aftermath, but not long after, it concluded mostly with their regular lives again. If there had been more focus on the disaster, I would have enjoyed it more, I’m sure. There was an afterword by another “classic” Canadian author, Alistair Macleod – one of those that analyzes the book; one of the ones that should never be an introduction but often is (because it gives away the story)! Luckily, it was an afterword.… (more)
It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Penny (a woman working at the shipyard – very unusual for the time)’s love (and cousin) has been at war and he’s missing. They all think he’s dead. So, when Angus (much older than Penny) asks her to marry him, she accepts. Only days later, the Halifax Harbour goes up in an explosion.
The book only follows just over one week. It took longer than I liked to get to the explosion. Leading up to it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the explosion itself and the aftermath, but not long after, it concluded mostly with their regular lives again. If there had been more focus on the disaster, I would have enjoyed it more, I’m sure. There was an afterword by another “classic” Canadian author, Alistair Macleod – one of those that analyzes the book; one of the ones that should never be an introduction but often is (because it gives away the story)! Luckily, it was an afterword.… (more)
Lists
Open Book 2021 (1)
Canada (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 24
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 1,495
- Popularity
- #17,184
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 38
- ISBNs
- 107
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 7