Alice Munro 1931-2024

Alice Munro was a writer from Wingham, Ontario, Canada known for her short stories. She published thirteen collections of stories, one novel, and two volumes of Selected Stories.

Alice Munro received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013; The Man Booker Prize in 2009; the Governor General’s Award, which is Canada’s highest literary prize, in 1968,1978 and 1986; and Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.

She and her first husband, Jim Munro, founded an independent bookstore called Munro Books in 1963 in Victoria, British Columbia. It is still open today. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and its radio program Canadian Short Stories broadcast many of her short stories. She was featured on a silver coin from the Royal Canadian Mint and a postage stamp in Canada. Her stories were featured in magazines and journals such as The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and the Paris Review.

Munro’s work focuses largely on life in rural Canada from the perspective of womanhood. She was among the most accomplished masters of the short story. Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood called Munro a “pioneer for women and Canadians.” She was also called the “Canadian Chekhov” by writer Cynthia Ozick for her insight and compassion in her very personal stories about women’s lives.

Borrow Alice Munro’s books by placing a hold in our catalog.