The New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia

New Brunswick has often been in the literary vanguard. Julia Catherine Beckwith Hart wrote the first novel published in Canada by a native-born Canadian. Charles G.D. Roberts pioneered the animal story, and Antonine Maillet was the first non-European winner of France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt. Today, The Fiddlehead is one of Canada’s oldest, continuously published literary magazines.

Despite the province’s rich literary history, however, resources for the study of New Brunswick literature are still rare. No New Brunswick encyclopedia exists, nor was a university course dedicated solely to New Brunswick literature taught before 2008.

This site is intended to fill that gap. Its most prominent feature is an encyclopedia of biographical, critical, and bibliographic information about more than 200 New Brunswick writers and literary subjects. As well, the site provides resources for further study and teaching, including links to the New Brunswick Literature Curriculum in English, a comprehensive curriculum dedicated solely to the province’s literature.

An initiative of Dr. Tony Tremblay, Canada Research Chair in New Brunswick Studies (2007-17), the site aims to be a useful research tool for students, scholars, and teachers interested in New Brunswick literature.

Though most of the authors featured on this site write primarily in English, we are expanding to include Acadian and Francophone authors. Our intention is to introduce Acadian writers to English readers.

The opinions expressed on this site are solely those of its creators, many of whom are students. Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire copyright permission and acknowledge indebtedness. Errors and omissions brought to our attention will be corrected in future updates.