Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Gail Kathryn Anderson-Dargatz (née Anderson) (born November 14, 1963) is a Canadian novelist.

Anderson-Dargatz was born in Salmon Arm, British Columbia

Her first novel, "The Cure for Death by Lightning" (1996), was an experimental yet accessible work whose story unfolded partly through narrative and partly through a collection of recipes and household tips belonging to the narrator's mother. It was a Canadian bestseller that year, making Anderson-Dargatz one of the most popular new names in Canadian literature. The novel was nominated for the Giller Prize and was awarded the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.

Her latest novel, "Turtle Valley" (2007), is set near Salmon Arm during a forest fire and tells the story of Kat, a woman who faces the challenge of simultaneously caring for her aging parents, young child and ill husband. It was inspired by the 1998 Salmon Arm fire, which the author had to evacuate her parents from. A major focus of the novel is "to give an unflinching portrait of the caregiver, how very hard it is on the caregiver and on all family relationships." [ [http://www.canadianliving.com/life/community/interview_with_author_gail_anderson_dargatz.php Canadian Living : Life : Community : Interview with author Gail Anderson-Dargatz ] ]

Bibliography

Short story collections

* "The Miss Hereford Stories" (1994) - ISBN 1-55054-160-9

Novels

* "The Cure for Death by Lightning" (1996) - ISBN 0-385-72047-5
* "A Recipe for Bees" (1998) - ISBN 0-385-72048-3
* "A Rhinestone Button" (2002) - ISBN 0-676-97550-X/ISBN 0-676-97549-6
* "Turtle Valley" (2007) - ISBN 0-676-97886-X

References

External links

* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009941 Gail Anderson-Dargatz's] entry in [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=HomePage&Params=A1 The Canadian Encyclopedia]
* [http://www.canadianliving.com/life/community/excerpt_turtle_valley.php Excerpt from "Turtle Valley" on CanadianLiving.com]
* [http://www.gailanderson-dargatz.ca Gail Anderson-Dargatz's personal website]