Urquhart, Jane

Jane Urquhart (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry, and numerous short stories. Urquhart is well known for her evocative style, which blends historical and contemporary themes. Her first novel, The Whirlpool (1986), gained her international recognition. She became the first Canadian to win France's prestigious Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger (Best Foreign Book Award). Her subsequent novels proved as successful: Away (1993) won the Trillium Award and was a national bestseller. Her fourth novel, The Underpainter, won the Governor General's Literary Award in 1997. Some Other Garden, a collection of her best-known poetry, was published in 2000.