W. P. Kinsella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
W. P. Kinsella
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| Born | William Patrick Kinsella May 25, 1935 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | September 16, 2016 (aged 81) Hope, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | University of Victoria University of Iowa |
| Genre | Sports fiction |
| Subject | Baseball, First Nations |
| Notable awards |
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William Patrick "W. P." Kinsella (May 25, 1935 – September 16, 2016) was a Canadian writer. He wrote novels and short stories.
He is best known for his novel Shoeless Joe (1982). This book was later made into the famous movie Field of Dreams in 1989. Kinsella's stories often focused on baseball and the lives of First Nations people.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William Patrick Kinsella was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His parents were from Ireland. Until he was 10, he lived on a farm near Darwell, Alberta. His mother taught him at home, and he also took lessons by mail. He once said he knew how to read and write by age five!
When he was ten, his family moved to Edmonton. He didn't start regular school until grade five. He later went to Parkdale School for junior high. He didn't go to university until he was in his mid-30s. Kinsella said he didn't learn much literature in high school.
But he loved reading and going to plays. He worked in the school library in his last year of high school. As an adult, he had many different jobs in Edmonton. He worked for the government and managed a credit office. In 1967, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia. There, he ran a pizza place and drove a taxi.
Even though he had been writing since he was a child, he started taking writing classes in 1970. He studied at the University of Victoria and earned a degree in creative writing in 1974. He then got a master's degree from the University of Iowa in 1978. Before becoming a full-time writer, he taught English at the University of Calgary.
Writing Career and Main Themes
W. P. Kinsella's stories usually fell into two main groups. One group was about baseball, and the other was about the Indigenous people of Canada.
His first book was Dance Me Outside (1977). It was a collection of 17 short stories. These stories were told by a young Cree character named Silas Ermineskin. Silas described life on a First Nations reserve in Alberta.
Another collection of similar stories, The Fencepost Chronicles, won him an award for humor. Some people criticized Kinsella for writing from the point of view of Native people. They felt he was taking their voices. But Kinsella disagreed. He believed a writer should be free to create any character they choose. He said his stories showed how oppressed people use humor to deal with those who oppress them.
Kinsella also wrote almost 40 short stories and three novels about baseball. His first novel, Shoeless Joe (1982), is a fantasy story. It's about a farmer in Iowa who hears voices telling him to build a baseball field in his cornfield. This field then attracts the ghosts of famous baseball players.
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy (1986) is another fantasy baseball book. It tells the story of an epic baseball game. Box Socials (1991) is about life in rural Alberta during the Great Depression and World War II. It's told by a young boy.
Shoeless Joe is Kinsella's most famous book. It was a bit controversial because it featured a real, living author, J.D. Salinger, as a character. Kinsella had never met Salinger. He created a fictional version of him, making sure he was a nice character. Salinger, who was known for taking legal action, contacted Kinsella's publisher. He was upset about being in the book.
Shoeless Joe won Kinsella several awards. It sold very well and became a popular movie.
Books Made into Movies and Shows
W. P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe was turned into the movie Field of Dreams. It starred Kevin Costner. The movie made a lot of money and helped Kevin Costner become a big star. It was later added to the National Film Registry, which keeps important films.
Kinsella's short stories about life on reserves were used for the 1994 movie Dance Me Outside. They also inspired the CBC television series The Rez. Kinsella himself thought these adaptations were not very good.
One of his short stories, "Lieberman in Love", was made into a short film. This film won an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 1996. Kinsella was surprised by this award because he didn't even know the film had been made! He wasn't mentioned in the film's credits. Later, the film's director apologized to him in a magazine.
Break from Writing
In 1997, Kinsella was in a car accident. He was hit by a car while walking and suffered a head injury. This accident almost ended his writing career. He didn't publish another novel for 14 years.
In an interview, Kinsella explained that he couldn't write like before. He had trouble concentrating. The injury also made him lose his senses of taste and smell. He said he changed from being a very active person to a more relaxed one. After the accident, he didn't feel like doing his old routines. He did write book reviews to stay involved in the literary world.
The publishing industry also changed a lot during this time. It became harder for good writers who didn't sell huge numbers of books to get published. Publishers started focusing more on best-selling authors and celebrities. Kinsella felt that if he were starting out today, he wouldn't be able to break into the market.
Later Years and Passing
On September 1, 2011, Kinsella released his first new book in 13 years. It was called Butterfly Winter. This book returned to his favorite themes of baseball and magical realism. It tells the story of twin brothers whose destiny is baseball.
Kinsella was also a skilled Scrabble player. He became more involved with the game after being disappointed by a baseball strike in 1994. He spent his final years in Yale, British Columbia, with his wife, Barbara. He sometimes wrote articles for newspapers.
Kinsella had diabetes for many years. He passed away on September 16, 2016.
Awards and Recognition
W. P. Kinsella received many honors for his writing:
- In 1991, he received an honorary degree from the University of Victoria.
- In 1993, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors.
- In 2005, he was named to the Order of British Columbia.
- In 2009, he received the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes a British Columbia author for their lasting contribution to literature. Kinsella said he was always happy to see his work recognized.
Books by W. P. Kinsella
Novels
- Shoeless Joe (1982)
- The Iowa Baseball Confederacy (1986)
- Box Socials (1991)
- The Winter Helen Dropped By (1994)
- If Wishes Were Horses (1996)
- Magic Time (1998)
- Butterfly Winter (2011)
Short Story Collections
- Dance Me Outside (1977)
- Scars (1978)
- Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes To Iowa (1980)
- Born Indian (1981)
- Moccasin Telegraph (1983)
- The Thrill of the Grass (1984)
- Five Stories (1985)
- The Alligator Report (1985)
- The Fencepost Chronicles (1986)
- Red Wolf, Red Wolf (1987)
- The Further Adventures of Slugger McBatt (1988)
- The Miss Hobbema Pageant (1989)
- The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories (1993)
- Brother Frank's Gospel Hour (1994)
- The Secret of the Northern Lights (1998)
- Baseball Fantastic (2000)
- Japanese Baseball and Other Stories (2000)
- The Essential W. P. Kinsella (2015)
Poetry
- Rainbow Warehouse (1989)
