Diana Atkinson

Diana Atkinson
Born Diana Wigod
Occupation novelist
Nationality Canadian
Period 1990s
Notable works Highways and Dancehalls

Diana Atkinson, née Wigod[1] is a Canadian writer, who was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 1995 Governor General's Awards for her novel Highways and Dancehalls.[2]

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis as a child, and underwent frequent surgeries for the condition.[1] By her teenage years, she was psychologically troubled by post-operative trauma from the surgeries, dropping out of high school and spending some time working as a stripper.[1] Highways and Dancehalls was a roman à clef about her experience, although she resisted media attempts to sensationalize her past in the novel's promotion.[1] At the time of the award nomination, Atkinson was completing a degree at Concordia University in Montreal.[3]

The novel was also a shortlisted nominee for the 1995 Chapters First Novel Award.[4] A French-language translation, titled Strip, was published in 1998.[5]

Atkinson won a Western Magazine Award in 2000 for "Falling Slowly", an essay published in Vancouver Magazine,[6] and was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the same year for "From the Gut", an essay published in Western Living.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Author tells how surgery led to life as stripper". Toronto Star, April 8, 1995.
  2. ↑ "68 finalists for literary awards". Vancouver Sun, October 27, 1995.
  3. ↑ "Nomination barely interrupts Atkinson's studies". Vancouver Sun, October 27, 1995.
  4. ↑ "Short list for 1st novel announced". The Globe and Mail, March 1, 1996.
  5. ↑ "Canadian bookseller waves flag in Paris". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, May 2, 1998.
  6. ↑ "Mix named top magazine in B.C.". Vancouver Sun, June 23, 2000.
  7. ↑ "National magazine nominees announced". Vancouver Sun, April 20, 2000.


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