Rudy Wiebe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rudy Wiebe
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| Born | 4 October 1934 Fairholme, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation | Author, professor |
| Education |
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| Genre | fiction, non-fiction |
| Spouse |
Tena Isaak
(m. 1958) |
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Rudy Henry Wiebe is a famous Canadian writer. He was born on October 4, 1934. He used to be a professor at the University of Alberta. He received a special award called the Order of Canada in 2000. This award is one of the highest honors in Canada.
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Growing Up
Rudy Wiebe was born in a small place called Speedwell, Saskatchewan. He grew up in a quiet community. For the first 13 years of his life, he lived in a place where families were still settling the land. He didn't speak English until he was six years old. At home, his family spoke Low German, and in church, they spoke standard German.
He went to a small school about three miles from his farm. His family moved to Coaldale, Alberta, in 1947.
His Education
Rudy Wiebe went to the University of Alberta and earned his first degree in 1956. He then studied in West Germany at the University of Tübingen. While in Germany, he learned about literature and theology. He also traveled to other countries like England, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Later, in 1962, he earned another degree from Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg. This college is now called Canadian Mennonite University.
His Writing Career
After college, Rudy Wiebe worked as an editor for a newspaper called the Mennonite Brethren Herald. He had to leave this job because of his first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many, which came out in 1962. This book was seen as a bit controversial at the time. It was one of the first books to start a new wave of Mennonite literature.
Wiebe taught at Goshen College in Indiana from 1963 to 1967. After that, he taught for many years at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
His Books
Rudy Wiebe has written many novels. Some of his well-known books include:
- Peace Shall Destroy Many (1962)
- The Blue Mountains of China (1970)
- The Temptations of Big Bear (1973)
- A Discovery of Strangers (1994)
- Sweeter Than All the World (2001)
He has also written short stories, essays, and books for children. In 2006, he wrote a book about his own childhood called Of This Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest. His stories often explore the lives and challenges of people in the Canadian Prairies. He writes about both settlers, especially Mennonites, and First Nations people.
Awards and Recognition
Rudy Wiebe has won the Governor General's Award for Fiction twice. He won for The Temptations of Big Bear in 1973 and for A Discovery of Strangers in 1994. Another famous writer, Thomas King, said that Wiebe's book The Temptations of Big Bear truly shows the feelings and struggles of Native people during a certain time in history.
In 2000, Rudy Wiebe was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very important honor given to people who have made a big difference in Canada.
Family Life
In 1958, Rudy Wiebe married Tena Isaak. They have three children together.
Awards
- 1973 Governor General's Award for Fiction for The Temptations of Big Bear
- 1994 Governor General's Award for Fiction for A Discovery of Strangers
- 2007 Charles Taylor Prize for Of This Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest
- 2009 Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Alberta
