Born in 1904, Graham Greene was the son of a headmaster and the fourth of six children. Preferring to stay home and read rather than endure the teasing at school that was a by-product of his father's occupation, Greene attempted suicide several times and eventually dropped out of school at the age of 15. His parents sent him to an analyst in London who recommended he try writing as therapy. He completed his first novel by the time he graduated from college in 1925. Greene wrote both entertainments and serious novels. Catholicism was a recurring theme in his work, notable examples being The Power and the Glory (1940) and The End of the Affair (1951). Popular suspense novels include: The… Heart of the Matter, Our Man in Havana and The Quiet American. Greene was also a world traveler and he used his experiences as the basis for many books. One popular example, Journey Without Maps (1936), was based on a trip through the jungles of Liberia. Greene also wrote and adapted screenplays, including that of the 1949 film, The Third Man, which starred Orson Welles. He died in Vevey, Switzerland in 1991.
Antonine Maillet is one of Canada's best-known writers. Among her many honours are the Prix Goncourt, which she received for her novel P�lagie-la-charette, the first non-French citizen to do so, and the Governor General's Award for fiction for Don l'Orignal.Born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick in 1929, Antonine Maillet is one of Canada's best-known writers both at home and abroad. The soul of contemporary Acadian literature, Maillet has been responsible for generating pride in her people through her stories depicting strong-willed Acadians. She is the author of dozens of books, including the award-winning and highly celebrated La Sagouine and The Tale of Don l'Orignal. She has… also written children's books, radio and television scripts, and more than a dozen plays. Maillet was the first non-French citizen to win the Prix Goncourt for P�lagie-la-Charette. With that epic novel, she gained recognition for Acadia as she herself became known throughout the world as a spokesperson for her people. Among her many literary prizes are the Prix France-Canada and the Governor General's Award. She is also a Companion of the Order of Canada (1982), Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Officer of the National Order of Qu�bec, Officier des arts et des lettres and Officier des Palme's acad�miques in France, and Commandeur de l'Ordre du m�rite culturel in Monaco. She has received honorary degrees from more than 25 universities in Canada and abroad and has served as chancellor of Universit� de Moncton, her alma mater. The late Philip Stratford grew up near Sarnia and lived in Montreal, where he had a distinguished career as an academic and poet. A pioneer translator of Canadian fiction and poetry, he was the founder and first president of the Literary Translators Association of Canada.