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10 October 2013

Biobibliographical notes

Alice Munro was born on the 10th of July, 1931 in Wingham, which is in the Canadian province of Ontario. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a fox farmer. After finishing high school, she began studying journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario, but broke off her studies when she got married in 1951. Together with her husband, she settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where the couple opened a bookstore. Munro started writing stories in her teens, but published her first book-length work in 1968, the story collection Dance of the Happy Shades, which received considerable attention in Canada. She had begun publishing in various magazines from the beginning of the 1950’s. In 1971 she published a collection of stories entitled Lives of Girls and Women, which critics have described as a Bildungsroman.

Munro is primarily known for her short stories and has published many collections over the years. Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012).

Munro is acclaimed for her finely tuned storytelling, which is characterized by clarity and psychological realism. Some critics consider her a Canadian Chekhov. Her stories are often set in small town environments, where the struggle for a socially acceptable existence often results in strained relationships and moral conflicts – problems that stem from generational differences and colliding life ambitions. Her texts often feature depictions of everyday but decisive events, epiphanies of a kind, that illuminate the surrounding story and let existential questions appear in a flash of lightning.

Alice Munro currently resides in Clinton, near her childhood home in southwestern Ontario.

Major works in English

Dance of the Happy Shades and Other Stories. – Toronto : Ryerson, 1968

Lives of Girls and Women. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1971

Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You : Thirteen Stories. – Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974

Who Do You Think You Are? : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1978. – Note: also published as The Beggar Maid : Stories of Flo and Rose. – New York : Knopf, 1979

The Moons of Jupiter : Stories. – Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, 1982

The Progress of Love. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1986

Friend of My Youth : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1990

Open Secrets : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1994

The Love of a Good Woman : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1998

Queenie : A Story. – London : Profile Books/London Review of Books, 1999

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2001

Runaway : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2004

The View from Castle Rock : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2006

Away from Her. – New York : Vintage, 2007. – Note: contains the short story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain” which was later made into the motion picture Away from her

Too Much Happiness : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2009

Dear Life : Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2012

Collected short stories

Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1996

No Love Lost. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2003

Vintage Munro. – New York : Vintage, 2004

Carried Away : A Selection of Stories. – New York : Knopf, 2006

Alice Munro’s Best : Selected Stories. – Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 2008

New Selected Stories. – London : Chatto & Windus, 2011

Works in French

Pour-qui te prendstu? : roman / traduit de l’anglais par Colette Tonge. – Montréal : Québec/Amérique, 1981. – Traduction de : Who Do You Think You Are?

Les lunes de Jupiter : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais par Colette Tonge. – Paris : Albin Michel, 1989. – Traduction de : The Moons of Jupiter

Miles city, Montana / traduit de l’anglais par Florence Petry et Jean-Pierre Ricard. – Paris : Deuxtemps Tierce, 1991. – Traduction de : The Progress of Love

Amie de ma jeunesse : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais par Marie-Odile Fortier-Masek. – Paris : Albin Michel, 1992. – Traduction de : Friend of my Youth

Secrets de Polichinelle : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Céline Schwaller-Balaÿ. – Paris : Rivages, 1995. – Traduction de : Open Secrets

L’amour d’une honnête femme : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2001. – Traduction de : The Love of a Good Woman

La danse des ombres heureuses : nouvelles/ traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2002

Un demi-pamplemousse : nouvelles / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Michèle Causse. – Paris : Payot & Rivages, 2002

Un peu, beaucoup, pas du tout / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot et Rivages, 2004. – Traduction de : Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Loin d’elle / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Geneviève Doze. – Paris : Payot & Rivages, 2007

Fugitives / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier. 2008. – Traduction de : Runaway

Du côté de Castle Rock / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier, 2009. – Traduction de : The View from Castle Rock

Trop de bonheur / traduit de l’anglais (Canada) par Jacqueline Huet et Jean-Pierre Carasso. – Paris : Olivier. 2013. – Traduction de : Too Much Happiness

Works in Swedish

Tiggarflickan / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1984. – Orig:s titel: The Beggar Maid

Jupiters månar : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1985. – Orig:s titel: The Moons of Jupiter

Kärlekens vägar : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1991. – Orig:s titel: The Progress of Love

Äpplen eller apelsiner : noveller / översättning av Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 1993. – Orig:s titel: Friend of my Youth

Kärlek, vänskap, hat : noveller / översättning av Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Wahlström & Widstrand, 2003. – Orig:s titel: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Nära hem / översättning: Karin Benecke. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2009. – Urval ur: Progress of Love; Moons of Jupiter; Friend of my Youth

För mycket lycka / översättning: Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2010. – Orig:s titel: Too Much Happiness

Brinnande livet / översättning: Rose-Marie Nielsen. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2013. – Orig:s titel: Dear life

Tiggarflickan / översättning : Karin Benecke. – Ny utg. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2013. – Orig:s titel: The Beggar Maid

Works in Spanish

Las lunas de Júpiter / traducción de Esperanza Pérez Moreno. – Barcelona : Versal, 1990. – Título original: The Moons of Jupiter

El progreso del amor / versión castellana de Flora Casas. – Madrid : Debate, 1990. – Título original: The Progress of Love

Amistad de juventud / traducción de Esperanza Pérez Moreno. – Barcelona : Versal, 1991. – Título original: Friend of My Youth

Secretos a voces / versión castellana de Flora Casas. – Madrid : Debate, 1996. – Título original: Open Secrets

El amor de una mujer generosa : relatos / traducción de Javier Alfaya Bula, José Hamad, Javier Alfaya McShane. – Madrid : Siglo XXI de España, 2002. – Título original: The Love of a Good Woman

Odio, amistad, noviazgo, amor, matrimonio / traducción de Marcelo Cohen. – Barcelona : RBA, 2003. – Título original: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Escapada / traducción de Carmen Aguilar. – Barcelona : RBA, 2005. – Título original: Runaway

La vista desde Castle Rock / traducción de Isabel Ferrer y Carlos Milla. – Barcelona : RBA, 2008. – Título original: The View from Castle Rock

Demasiada felicidad / traducción de Flora Casas. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2010. – Título original: Too Much Happiness

La vida de las mujeres / traducción de Aurora Echevarría. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2011. – Título original: Lives of Girls and Women

Mi vida querida / traducción de Eugenia Vázquez Nacarino. – Barcelona : Lumen, 2013. – Título original: Dear Life

Works in German

Das Bettlermädchen : Geschichten von Flo und Rose / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Hildegard Petry. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1981. – Originaltitel: Who Do You Think You Are?

Kleine Aussichten : ein Roman von Mädchen und Frauen / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Hildegard Petry. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1983. – Originaltitel: Lives of Girls and Women

Die Jupitermonde : Erzählungen / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Manfred Ohl und Hans Sartorius. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1986. – Originaltitel: The Moons of Jupiter

Der Mond über der Eisbahn : Liebesgeschichten / Aus dem Amerikan. übers. von Helga Huisgen. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1989. – Originaltitel: The Progress of Love

Glaubst du, es war Liebe? : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. übers. von Karen Nölle-Fischer. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1991. – Originaltitel: Friend of my Youth

Offene Geheimnisse : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Karen Nölle-Fischer. – Stuttgart : Klett-Cotta, 1996. – Originaltitel: Open Secrets

Die Liebe einer Frau : drei Erzählungen und ein kurzer Roman / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2000. – Originaltitel: The Love of a Good Woman

Der Traum meiner Mutter : Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2002

Himmel und Hölle : neun Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2004. – Originaltitel: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Tricks : acht Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2006. – Originaltitel: Runaway

Wozu wollen Sie das wissen? : elf Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2008. – Originaltitel: The View from Castle Rock

Der Bär kletterte über den Berg : drei Dreiecksgeschichten / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Berlin : Wagenbach, 2008

Tanz der seligen Geister : fünfzehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Zürich : Dörlemann, 2010. – Originaltitel: Dance of the Happy Shades

Zu viel Glück : zehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Frankfurt am Main : S. Fischer, 2011. – Originaltitel: Too Much Happiness

Was ich dir schon immer sagen wollte : dreizehn Erzählungen / Aus dem Engl. von Heidi Zerning. – Zürich : Dörlemann, 2012. – Originaltitel: Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You

Critical studies (a selection)

Probable Fictions : Alice Munro’s Narrative Acts / edited by Louis K. MacKendrick. – Downsview, Ont. : ECW Press, 1983

Dahlie, Hallvard, Alice Munro and Her Works. – Toronto, Ont. : ECW Press, 1984

The Art of Alice Munro : Saying the Unsayable : Papers From the Waterloo Conference / edited by Judith Miller. – Waterloo, Ont. : University of Waterloo Press, 1984

Martin, W. R., Alice Munro : Paradox and Parallel. – Edmonton, Alta. : University of Alberta Press, 1986

Blodgett, E. D., Alice Munro. – Boston : Twayne, 1988

Carrington, Ildikó de Papp, Controlling the Uncontrollable : The Fiction of Alice Munro. – DeKalb : Northern Illinois University Press, 1989

Rasporich, Beverly Jean, Dance of the Sexes : Art and Gender in the Fiction of Alice Munro. – Edmonton, Alta. : University of Alberta Press, 1990

Redekop, Magdalene, Mothers and Other Clowns : The Stories of Alice Munro. – London: Routledge, 1992

Carscallen, James, The Other Country : Patterns in the Writing of Alice Munro. – Toronto : ECW Press, 1993

Heble, Ajay, The Tumble of Reason : Alice Munro’s Discourse of Absence. – Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1994

Howells, Coral Ann, Alice Munro. – Manchester : Manchester University Press, 1998

The Rest of the Story : Critical Essays on Alice Munro / edited by Robert Thacker. – Toronto : ECW Press, 1999

Munro, Sheila, Lives of Mothers & Daughters : Growing Up With Alice Munro. – Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 2001

Thacker, Robert, Munro : Writing Her Lives : a Biography. – Toronto : Douglas Gibson, 2005

Mazur, Carol, Alice Munro : An Annotated Bibliography of Works and Criticism / compiled by Carol Mazur ; edited by Cathy Moulder. – Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2007

Hooper, Brad, The Fiction of Alice Munro : An Appreciation. – Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2008

Skagert, Ulrica, Possibility-Space and Its Imaginative Variations in Alice Munro’s Short Stories. – Stockholm : Stockholm University, 2008

Alice Munro / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. – New York : Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2009

Duncan, Isla, Alice Munro’s Narrative Art. – New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Alice Munro / Charles E. May, editor. – Ipswich, Mass. : Salem Press, 2013

The Swedish Academy