Edward McCourt
Edward McCourt was an Irish-born Canadian author, born in Mullingar, Ireland, in 1907 and later raised in Alberta, Canada. He served as a professor of English literature at the University of Saskatchewan from 1944 until his passing in 1972. McCourt's literary output includes over forty-three short stories, five novels, and three works for young readers, alongside several radio adaptations of his stories. His writing is primarily set against the backdrop of western Canada, reflecting his deep appreciation for the prairie landscapes. While recognized as a writer of realistic fiction, his work often blended elements of realism and romance. McCourt published two travel books, capturing his journeys across Canada. Despite achieving critical praise, including the Ryerson Prize for Fiction for his first novel, *Music at the Close*, his works did not achieve significant commercial success during his lifetime. Only one of his novels, *The Wooden Sword*, saw reprint after his death, highlighting the challenges he faced in gaining a lasting readership.
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Subject Terms
Edward McCourt
Author
- Born: October 10, 1907
- Birthplace: Mullingar, Ireland
- Died: January 6, 1972
- Place of death: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Biography
Edward McCourt was born in Mullingar, Ireland, in 1907 and was raised in Alberta, Canada. In 1944, he served as a professor of English literature at the University of Saskatchewan. He held this position until his death in 1972.
During his career, McCourt published more than forty-three short stories, five novels, and three juvenile works. He also created several radio plays based on his literary works. Most of his fiction was set in western Canada and reflected his own love of the Canadian prairie lands. McCourt was labeled a realistic fiction writer, although his writing was noted for its compromise between realism and romance. In addition to fiction, McCourt published two travel books titled The Road Across Canada (1965) and The Yukon and the Northwestern Territories (1969).
Although McCourt was an accomplished writer, his work remained obscure during his lifetime. In 1947, McCourt’s first novel, Music at the Close, a story about the Depression years, earned the Ryerson Prize for Fiction. Despite its critical acclaim, Music at the Close only sold twenty five hundred copies and soon disappeared form the market. Despite his first novel’s failure to sell, McCourt continued to write four more novels. These subsequent novels never found adequate readership and only sold a few hundred copies. Of his five novels, only The Wooden Sword, first published in 1975, was reprinted after his death.