Neil Besner

Biography

I’m from Montreal but left there early and grew up in Brazil, where I return frequently. I went to high school in the U.S. (1962-66), then started my B.A. at the University of Southern California in L.A., returned to Montreal in 1970, and finished my B.A. (Honors) at McGill (1972). I came West in 1972, finished my M.A. on Saul Bellow at the University of Regina (1974), travelled in Europe and Africa (1974-5) and taught English as a Second Language in Seville, Spain (1975). I taught at UBC (1976-83) and did my PhD there on Mavis Gallant’s fiction, and then started returning eastward when I moved to Calgary to teach at Mount Royal (1983 – 1987). I’ve been at UW since 1987 and taught regularly in the English Department until 2007 and irregularly since then. Both my kids are graduates of UW. I love this place.

Research Interest

Various approaches to 19th, 20th Century, and contemporary Canadian literature; the short story as genre and form; twentieth century American Fiction and Poetry; Fiction in Translation (particularly Asian, European, and especially South American); Expository writing; and Individual authors: Saul Bellow, Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, Elizabeth Bishop, and the lyrics of Bob Dylan.