Alden Albert Nowlan was born in Stanley, Nova Scotia, on 25 January 1933. Forced to leave school at age 10, Nowlan went on to become a highly-regarded poet, dramatist and novelist.
In 2008, UNB Libraries commissioned me to paint a portrait of the poet Alden Nowlan. The portrait was completed in 2009 and has hung in the Harriet Irving Library, the University of New Brunswick’s main library, ever since. The portrait was recently included in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery exhibition Art Treasures of New Brunswick.
The library is now making available limited edition fine art reproductions of the portrait. See the pdf of the mailout for details. Also go to Joy of Framing’s Facebook page to see a framed copy of the conservation quality gicleé, currently on display. They will offer discounts on framing orders for this reproduction.
More on Alden Nowlan
He was the recipient in his lifetime of many awards and honours for his work, including the following:
- Governor General’s Award for English Poetry 1967
- Guggenheim Fellowship 1967
- Canada Council Special Award 1968
- University of Western Ontario’s President’s Medal for Short Fiction 1970, 1972
- Canadian Authors Association’s Silver Medal for Poetry 1977
- Queen’s Jubilee Medal 1978 (for his contribution to the arts)
Nowlan was Writer-in-Residence at the University of New Brunswick from 1968 until his untimely death in Fredericton, New Brunswick, 27 June, 1983. By commissioning this portrait, UNB Libraries wished to keep the memory of this great Canadian writer alive.
For more information on Alden Nowlan, see The Canadian Encyclopedia entry on Alden Nowlan.
