author
Douglas Durkin
1884–1967
A Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter, he wrote with a sharp eye for prairie life and social tension. His work moved from Manitoba settings to film work and a long creative partnership with fellow writer Martha Ostenso.
1 Audiobook
The Heart of Cherry McBain: A Novel
by Douglas Durkin
About the author
Born in Parry Sound, Ontario, on July 9, 1884, he grew up in Manitoba and studied English and philosophy at the University of Manitoba. He later taught at Brandon College, Wesley College, and the University of Manitoba before turning more fully to writing.
His early books drew on western Canadian life, including The Heart of Cherry McBain and The Lobstick Trail. He also published poetry during the First World War, and his fiction became known for its moral seriousness and interest in social conflict.
In the 1920s he moved into a wider literary career, teaching creative writing briefly at Columbia University and later collaborating closely with Martha Ostenso. Their partnership extended into fiction and screenwriting, and he spent part of his later career working in the United States before his death in Seattle on June 4, 1967.