Rudy Wiebe
Rudy Henry Wiebe was born in 1934 in Saskatchewan but moved to Coaldale, Alberta when he was twelve. Although Wiebe spoke only Low German until he was six years old, his skill with the English language did not suffer. He earned his BA from the University of Calgary, his MA from the University of Alberta, and a bachelor of theology from the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Manitoba.His first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many, was published in 1962. Since then, Wiebe has written numerous books and has been a professor at various universities, finally returning to the English Department at the University of Alberta. Wiebe’s novel The Temptations of Big Bear won the Governor General’s Award in 1973. He was Founding President of the Writers Guild of Alberta and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000.