Marian Engel

Marian Ruth Engel (1933–1985) was a Canadian novelist best known for her controversial and acclaimed novel Bear (1976), which won the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction. A founding member and first chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, she was also named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1982 for her contributions to literature. Her works often explored themes of female identity and Canadian life, including notable titles like Lunatic Villas (1981), which won the Toronto Book Award.