A little history
Some scholars suggest that Toronto's literary periods can be divided into: French origins (1610-1760); Franco-Ontarian origins (1760-1865); the literature of public servants (1865-1910); the affirmation of collective identity (1910-1927); the proponents of language and culture (1928-1959); the literature of academics (1960-1972); and contemporary literature (since 1973).
One of the first writers to write about Toronto was Joseph-Charles Taché (1820-1894) in Esquisse sur le Canada considéré sous le point de vue économiste (1855). A few decades later, in 1922, Lionel Groulx published L'Appel de la race, a book in which he recounted the struggle of Franco-Ontarians who fought against a regulation that wanted to limit the use of French in schools. Born in Kingston, William Kirby (1817-1906) is known for his book The Golden Dog, which was first published in English and French without his permission. It was not until 1896 that he finally published his book, this time ensuring that he retained his copyright. Most of his works are historical in nature. Morley Callaghan (1903-1990) was a journalist for the Toronto Star who met and wrote with many great writers, including Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Francis Scott Fitzgerald. These great writers lived in Paris for many years during the Jazz Age, and Callaghan wrote a beautiful novel of friendship about those beautiful years spent there. His short stories relate different aspects of Canadian life in relation to the great themes of the time (the great economic crisis of the 1930s, religion, the social divisions of the post-war period, etc.). As for Pierre Berton (1920-2004), a Canadian writer, journalist and television host, he wrote some forty books. Recognized as a specialist in Canadian history, he also received the Governor General's Literary Award three times.
As for the authors still active, there is Alice Munro (1931) who is a Canadian writer of English language born in Wingham, west of Toronto. Her short stories, sometimes interrelated and centered around female characters, are set mainly in Ontario or British Columbia, from the 1940s to the present. A multiple award winner, including three Governor General's Awards and the Man Booker International Prize, she received the highest possible honor, the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013, making her the "ruler of the contemporary short story." Finally, let's talk about Margaret Atwood (1939), a Canadian novelist, poet and literary critic born in Ottawa. She is one of the most famous Canadian writers. She has won several awards and honors, including the Arthur C. Clark Award in 1987 for her novel The Scarlet Handmaid and the Booker Prize in 2000 for her work The Blind Killer, not to mention her decoration with the Order of Canada in 1981. Her style, in all her works, is romance, but above all fiction in all its variations (historical, scientific, counter-utopian, etc.).
More contemporary authors
Let's take a look at the current authors. Many of them write about Toronto, were born here or live here. In a few decades, Toronto has shed its image of a monotonous city to put on a multicultural and multi-faceted garment. Mireille Messier (born in 1971 and living in Toronto since 1995) published a novel for children in 2004 with Éditions du Vermillon: Déclic à Toronto. The heroes, budding detectives, spend their vacation in Toronto and are plunged into a thrilling investigation. Little known places in the city are described and may make readers want to visit them. Aurélie Resch is a Toronto writer born in 1971. Her writing is based on the quest for identity and travel. She published her novel Pars, Ntangu! in 2011 and is also the author of several collections of short stories: Les Yeux de l'exil (2002), Obsession (2005), Le Bonheur est une couleur (2008), La Dernière allumette (2011). In 2018, she received the Trillium Award for her collection Sous le soleil de midi. She has also written a few collections of poetry(Cendres de lune, 2010; Haïti, je t'aime, 2010). In 2001, writer Didier Leclair (born in Montreal in 1967) won the Trillium Award for his novel Toronto, je t'aime. The reader discovers Raymond, an immigrant arriving in Toronto and discovering the life and customs of the city. It's a nice dive into all the facets of the city. The author has since written many novels including Ce pays qui est le mien (2003), Un passage vers l'Occident (2007), Le Bonheur est un parfum sans nom (2017) and Le Vieil homme sans voix (2019).
Children's literature
Let's talk about the works published in recent years in children's literature. Let's treat ourselves to a little magic with Le Père Noël s'est arrêté à Toronto, a collection of twelve Christmas stories written in 2013 by Paul-François Sylvestre who has published extensively on French Ontario(L'Ontario français au jour le jour, 2005; Toronto s'écrit : la Ville Reine dans notre littérature, 2007; Cent ans de leadership franco-ontarien, 2010...). In 2009, Jean-François Somain (1943-2011), who lived in Ontario for several years, published Le Béret vert, a novel for 6-8 year olds that tells the story of Didier, a student unlike any other. A touching story full of humanity. Let's also mention Daniel Marchildon (1961), living north of Toronto, who has written a few books for young people: Otages de la nature (2018), Zazette, la chatte des Ouendats (2015), Les Guerriers de l'eau (2012), La Première guerre de Toronto (2010) and many others. Finally, let's mention once again Aurélie Resch who has published three children's books to date: Contes de la rivière Severn (2005), Les Jardins de Carmella, Histoires d'amitiés (2009) and Les Voleurs de couleurs (2010).
Collaboration with Paul McCartney
Did you know that Paul McCartney called on Kathryn Durst, a Toronto illustrator, to illustrate an album he wrote called Hey Grandude! A very nice complicity and collaboration that resulted in a very beautiful album!
