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Celebrated Canadian Author Graeme Gibson Has Died

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Graeme Gibson, celebrated Canadian author and spouse of Margaret Atwood, has died.

Nan A. Talese, President & Publisher, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday said: “I was lucky enough to publish two of Graeme’s books – THE BEDSIDE BOOK OF BIRDS and THE BEDSIDE BOOK OF BEASTS, both glorious – and of course all of Peggy’s books for forty years now. They were so happy to be in one another’s lives, and we were so happy to be in theirs. Graeme was a brilliant, gentle soul and will be deeply missed.”

Gibson was the author of the novels Five Legs, Communion, Perpetual Motion, and Gentleman Death. In addition to co-founding both the Writers’ Trust of Canada and the Writers’ Union of Canada, Gibson served as the president of PEN Canada, was the recipient of the Harbourfront Festival Prize and the Toronto Arts Award, and was a member of the Order of Canada. A committed conservationist, he was a council member of World Wildlife Fund Canada and chairman of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory.

Graeme Gibson was born on August 9, 1934 in London, Ontario. For the past several decades he lived in Toronto with his partner, Margaret Atwood.

On behalf of the family, Margaret Atwood said: “We are devastated by the loss of Graeme, our beloved father, grandfather, and spouse, but we are happy that he achieved the kind of swift exit he wanted and avoided the decline into further dementia that he feared. He had a lovely last few weeks, and he went out on a high, surrounded by love, friendship and appreciation. We are grateful for his wise, ethical, and committed life.”

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Posted: September 18, 2019