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Timothy Irving Frederick Findley

ティモシー・アーヴィング・フレデリック・ファインドリー

Timothy Irving Frederick Findley

Aliases: Tiff / Tiffy

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-10-30 （Toronto, Ontario, Canada）
Died
2002-06-20 （Brignoles, France） age 71
Nationality
Canadian
Languages
English
Residence History
Stone Orchard (near Cannington, Ontario, Canada) → South of France (Cotignac / Brignoles area) → Stratford, Ontario, Canada

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, short story writer, actor, screenwriter
Active Years
1960-2002
Affiliations
Writers' Union of Canada, PEN International (Canadian Centre), Stratford Festival
Memberships
Writers' Union of Canada, PEN International (Canadian Centre)
Influenced By
Ruth Gordon, Thornton Wilder, Carl Jung, Alec Guinness
Influenced
Marnie Woodrow, Elizabeth Ruth

Education

St. Andrew's College (Aurora, Ontario)
Period: 在学中に10年生で退学（詳細不明）
Country: Canada
Left in grade 10 for health reasons

Awards

Governor General's Award for English-language fiction
1977
Work: The Wars
Organization: Governor General's Awards
Result: 受賞
ACTRA Award for Best Writing in a Television Documentary
1975
Work: The National Dream (miniseries)
Category: 脚本
Organization: ACTRA
Result: 受賞
Officer of the Order of Canada
1985
Organization: Order of Canada
Result: 任命
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1996
Organization: French Ministry of Culture / Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Result: 叙勲
Trillium Book Award
Organization: Trillium Book Award
Result: 受賞
Order of Ontario
Organization: Order of Ontario
Result: 受章
Canada's Walk of Fame
2002
Organization: Canada's Walk of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り
Canadian Authors Association Award
Organization: Canadian Authors Association
Result: 受賞
Governor General's Award (Drama)
Work: Elizabeth Rex
Organization: Governor General's Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Wars

1977 Novel

Set during World War I, it follows a young soldier, Robert Ross, and his psychological and moral struggles during the war.

wartraumamoral conflictsecrets
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Wars (film) / Robin Phillips (1983)

Headhunter

1993 Novel

A novel that examines power and violence in contemporary society and exposes complex ethical questions.

powerviolenceethics

The Piano Man's Daughter

1995 Novel

A multigenerational family story that explores memory, identity and psychological themes.

familymemorypsychology

Pilgrim

1999 Novel

A novel that questions identity through religious and psychological exploration.

religious questpsychoanalysisidentity

Elizabeth Rex

2001 Drama (play)

A stage play about actors' relationships and questions of gender and identity. Premiered at the Stratford Festival to critical acclaim.

gendertheatreidentity
Adaptations
  • [Theatre] Elizabeth Rex (premiere) (2001)

The Last of the Crazy People

1967 Novel

Findley's early novel examining family relations and individual impulses.

familymadnessindividual impulses

Bibliography

  • The Last of the Crazy People (1967)
  • The Butterfly Plague (1969)
  • The Wars (1977)
  • Famous Last Words (1981)
  • Not Wanted on the Voyage (1984)
  • The Telling of Lies (1986)
  • Headhunter (1993)
  • The Piano Man's Daughter (1995)
  • You Went Away (1996) — Novella
  • Dust to Dust (1997)
  • Pilgrim (1999)
  • Spadework (2001)
  • The Paper People (1967) — Drama
  • Don't Let the Angels Fall (1969) — Drama
  • The National Dream (1974) — Docudrama (co-authored)
  • Dieppe 1942 (1979) — Docudrama (co-authored)
  • Inside Memory: Pages from a Writer's Workbook (1990) — Memoir
  • From Stone Orchard (1998) — Memoir
  • Journeyman: Travels of a Writer (2003) — Memoir

Adaptations

  • The Wars (1983 film, dir. Robin Phillips)
  • The Stillborn Lover → adapted as the TV film 'External Affairs' (1999)
  • Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer (1992) — documentary

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Southern Ontario GothicInfluence of Jungian psychologySymbolic and psychological prose
Recurring Motifs
mental illnesssexuality and genderwar and traumafamily secretsethical conflict

Health

  • Health problems (during schooling)
    学童期（10年生在学中に中断）
    Interrupted formal schooling and led him to pursue dance and acting
  • Declining health in later life
    1990年代〜2002年
    Affected residence and creative activity in later years; prompted changes in place of residence in Canada

Legacy

Timothy Findley is regarded as one of the major Canadian writers of the late 20th century, a leading figure of the Southern Ontario Gothic tradition. He won multiple major awards and mentored younger writers. His work is known for deep psychological themes and moral conflicts.

Academic Societies

  • Writers' Union of Canada
  • PEN International (Canadian Centre)

Archives

  • Timothy Findley and William Whitehead fonds (R4441) — Library and Archives Canada

In Popular Culture

  • Documentary 'Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer' (1992)
  • Film adaptation of 'The Wars' (1983)
  • TV film adaptation 'External Affairs' (1999) of 'The Stillborn Lover'

Quotes

  • When we have stopped killing animals as though they were so much refuse, we will stop killing one another. But the highways show our indifference to death, so long as it is someone else's. It is an attitude of the human mind I do not grasp. I have no point of connection with it. People drive in such a way that you think they do not believe in death. Their own lives are their business, but my life is not their business. I cannot refrain from terrific anger when I am threatened so casually by strangers on a public road.
    Source: Journal (1965) — reproduced in 'Journeyman: Travels of a Writer' (p.16) (1965)
  • A myth is not a lie, as such, but only the truth in size twelve shoes. Its gestures are wider—its voice is projected farther—its face has bolder features than reality would dare contrive.
    Source: 1992 speech — reproduced in 'Journeyman: Travels of a Writer' (p.75) (1992)

Trivia

  • Informally known as 'Tiff' or 'Tiffy'.
  • Original member of the Stratford Festival, worked as an actor in his early career.
  • Briefly married to Janet Reid in 1959; marriage ended within a few months/years.
  • Longtime partner was writer Bill Whitehead.
  • Credited with coining the term 'Southern Ontario Gothic'.