Charlotte Gray

Recipient of the 2003 Pierre Berton Award 

November 21, 2011

Ottawa (Ontario)

Charlotte Gray — best-selling novelist, well-respected magazine journalist and frequent political commentator — has laboured faithfully and meticulously in Canadian history and biography for years with her impressive literary talents and dedication.

In those years, she has revealed a deep sympathy for ordinary men and women, who faced adversity and challenge in the Canadian experience. By showing us how they endured and what they overcame, Charlotte Gray, with the sweep of her dramatic narrative, honours their memories and enriches our collective inheritance as a nation of people.

Vivid, elegant, textured, delightful — these are mere wisps of words that allude to the power of her presence in Canadian literature today. Flint & Feather: The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake, Sisters in the Wilderness: The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill and Mrs. King: The Life and Times of Isabel Mackenzie King, are on their way to being recognized as “must-reads” for any student of history, professional and amateur alike.

More from Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray panel presentation - 2015 Canada's History Forum

In this presentation, Charlotte Gray speaks about her experiences of telling women's stories. 

State of Mind

A thriving Canadian culture is one of the most significant achievements of the past century and a half. But will it last?

Feminists on the Homefront

Post-war women went to work. They won the vote. Then the movement stalled.

Canada's Great Women

In a perfect world, the thirty women on this list would be household names. But for too long history textbooks have focused on great men, to the exclusion of all others.

Choosing Great Women

Choosing Canada’s Great Women is not easy. Listen to Charlotte Gray, one of the judges on our panel, as she describes the pleasures and pitfalls of ranking the great women of history.