T. F. Rigelhof

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Terrence Frederick "Terry" (T. F.) Rigelhof (born April 24, 1944) [1] is a Canadian writer and academic. [2] He is best known for A Blue Boy in a Black Dress, his memoir of his time studying at a Roman Catholic seminary school prior to abandoning the priesthood; [3] the book was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 1996 Governor General's Awards, [4] and won the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction at the Quebec Writers' Federation Awards. [5]

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, [2] Rigelhof joined the seminary in the 1960s. [3] He left those studies after a crisis of faith which left him suicidal, [3] but retained an academic interest in the history and sociology of religion, becoming a longtime instructor at Montreal's Dawson College. [6] He published the novel The Education of J.J. Pass (1983) and the short story collection Je t'aime, Cowboy (1993) prior to writing A Blue Boy in a Black Dress; he published one further novel, Badass on a Softail, in 1997 before concentrating on non-fiction writing thereafter. [7] In addition to his books, he was a regular literary critic for The Globe and Mail and other publications.

His later non-fiction works included the Canadian literature studies This Is Our Writing (2000) and Hooked on Canadian Books: The Good, the Better, and the Best Canadian Novels Since 1984 (2010); [7] the George Grant biography George Grant: Redefining Canada (2001); [8] and a second memoir, Nothing Sacred: A Journey Beyond Belief (2004). [2]

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References

  1. ↑ "Rigelhof, Terrence Frederick (1944-)". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina.
  2. 1 2 3 "Terry Rigelhof changes outlook on life". Guelph Mercury , June 12, 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 "Memoir takes provocative look at religion". Montreal Gazette , January 6, 1996.
  4. ↑ "Local authors top list: Governor-General's Literary Awards nominees announced". Montreal Gazette , October 18, 1996.
  5. ↑ "QSPELL honours anglophone writers: Literary award adopts new voting system where judges make choices independently". The Globe and Mail , November 23, 1996.
  6. ↑ "A Blue Boy in a Black Dress: A Memoir". The Globe and Mail , December 30, 1995.
  7. 1 2 "A home for Canlit". Montreal Gazette , April 3, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Lives of the intellectual saints". The Globe and Mail , January 12, 2002.
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