Ian McLachlan | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Playwright, novelist, academic, art collector. |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. |
| Period | 1960 - present |
| Notable work | The Seventh Hexagram |
Ian McLachlan is a Canadian writer and academic from Peterborough, Ontario. He is best known for his novel The Seventh Hexagram, which was co-winner with Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter of the inaugural Books in Canada First Novel Award in 1976 [1] and a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 1976 Governor General's Awards. [2]
After earning a Master of Arts at Oxford University in 1960, [3] McLachlan established the department of comparative literature at the University of Hong Kong before joining the faculty of Trent University in 1970. [3] Before his retirement, McLachlan served as the chair of Cultural Studies department for over 14 years. After The Seventh Hexagram, he published a second novel, Helen in Exile, in 1980. [4]
He has been a prominent figure in the arts and culture of Peterborough, Ontario. [3] His activities have included founding the local publishing company Ordinary Press, [3] serving on the boards of the city's Artspace and Union Theatre, [3] and founding and programming for the Canadian Images Film Festival. [3] With the film festival, he was fined in 1983 for screening A Message from Our Sponsor, a documentary film about subliminal advertising, without approval from the Ontario Censor Board. [5]
As a playwright, his works have included Pioneer Chainsaw Massacre, Postscript, Lear One/One, Frankenstein Meets the Recession, The Orchard, [6] Doctor Barnardo's Children [7] and Wounded Soldiers. [7] His non-fiction works have included Shanghai 1949 and In the Margins of the Empire: Reading Cambodia.