Daphne Marlatt facts for kids

Daphne Marlatt, born Daphne Buckle on July 11, 1942, is a Canadian poet and novelist. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is known for her unique writing style and her strong views on women's rights.

When she was young, her family moved to Malaysia. At age nine, they moved to British Columbia, Canada. She later studied at the University of British Columbia. There, she developed her special way of writing poetry and her strong ideas about feminism, which means believing in equal rights for women. In 1968, she earned a Master of Arts degree from Indiana University in the United States.

In 2006, Daphne Marlatt was honored as a Member of the Order of Canada. This is a very important award given to people who have made a big difference in Canada.

Daphne Marlatt's Life and Work

Early Life and Education

Daphne Marlatt is a talented author, teacher, writer, and editor. She is also a mother and a supporter of women's rights. She was born in Melbourne, Australia, on July 11, 1942. Her parents, Arthur and Edrys Lupprian Buckle, were English.

When she was three years old, her family moved to Penang, Malaysia. Then, at age nine, her family moved to Vancouver, Canada. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1964. While she was there, in 1963, she became an editor for TISH, a Canadian literary magazine.

After traveling with her husband, Gordon Alan Marlatt, she settled in Bloomington, Indiana. She received her Master of Arts degree from Indiana University in Comparative literature in 1968. During this time, she began writing her book Frames of a Story, which was published in 1968.

Published Works and Themes

In 1969, Marlatt published leaf leaf/s, a collection of shorter poems. In 1971, she released Rings, which included poems about pregnancy, birth, and being a new parent. She started teaching writing and literature at Capilano College and also edited for The Capilano Review. In 1972, she published Vancouver Poems.

A well-known piece by Marlatt, Steveston, was published in 1974. This work is about a small fishing village and its history, including its connection to Japanese Canadians during World War II.

In 1975, Marlatt published Our Lives, a poetry collection about relationships. In 1977, The Story, She Said and Zocalo were published. Zocalo is a collection of long poems about her travels through the Yucatán Peninsula. What Matters: Writing 1968-1970, published in 1980, includes some of her earlier writings, like "Rings."

Also in 1980, she published Net Work: Selected Writing. This book showed her growing confidence as a writer. It explores the connection between a town, its history, its people, and the river. Through these works, Marlatt's ideas about feminist theory began to become clearer.

Later Works and Contributions

In 1977, Marlatt helped start periodies: a magazine of prose, which ran until 1981. In 1981, she published here & there. Around this time, Marlatt became more involved in women's rights issues. She attended and helped organize several conferences about feminism. In 1985, she also helped start Tessera, a feminist journal.

In 1983, Marlatt's How Hug a Stone was published. This book describes a trip she took with her son to England in 1981. In 1984, Touch to My Tongue was published. Both books show her deep understanding of the world around her, which is always changing.

Marlatt created two books with Quebec feminist writer Nicole Brossard: Mauve (1985) and character/jeu de letters (1986). She also collaborated with Betsy Warland on Double negative, published in 1988.

In 1988, one of Marlatt's most famous novels, Ana Historic, was published. This novel tells the stories of women from both the past and the present. Marlatt explained that she liked to mix facts from documents with memories and made-up stories in Ana Historic. She used different sources like old newspaper articles, school textbooks, historical accounts, and even a fictional diary from 1873.

In 1991, Marlatt's book Salvage was published. It explores parts of her own life from a feminist point of view. In 1993, Ghost Works was released. This book combines different types of writing, like prose poems, letters, diary entries, and travel notes, to create a story.

In 1994, Two Women in a Birth was published. This collection of poetry was a collaboration between Marlatt and Betsy Warland, showing ten years of their work together.

Marlatt's second novel, Taken, was published in 1996. This novel honors women whose lives have been affected by war. In 2001, This Tremor Love Is was published. This book is a collection of love poems written over twenty-five years. Her most recent published work, a poetry collection called Seven Glass Bowls, came out in 2003.

You can also hear Daphne Marlatt reading from her classic poetry cycle, Steveston, on the CD Like Light Off Water, released in 2008. In 2006, Marlatt and her work were featured in an episode of the television series Heart of a Poet.

Marlatt has taught at many colleges and universities, including the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University. She has received several awards for her writing, including the Canada Council award and the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Literary Arts. She also received the Order of Canada for her important contributions to Canadian literature. Marlatt also founded the West Coast Women and Words Society.

Daphne Marlatt is a student of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and she continues to live in Vancouver, British Columbia.

See also

• Canadian literature
• Canadian poetry
• List of Canadian poets