author
Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
1875–1928
A prolific Canadian novelist and poet, she helped shape literary life in Vancouver in the early 20th century while publishing fiction, verse, and drama of her own. Her work is remembered for its energy, range, and strong place in Canada's developing literary scene.
3 Audiobooks
Up the Hill and Over
by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
The Window-Gazer
by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
Fires of Driftwood
by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
About the author
Born in Woodstock, Ontario, in November 1875, Isabel Ecclestone Mackay began writing young and worked for the Woodstock Daily Express as a teenager. After marrying Peter John Mackay in 1895, she later moved with her family to Vancouver in 1909, where she produced many of her major works.
Mackay wrote across several forms, including novels, poetry, and plays, and became an active figure in Canadian literary circles. She was known not only for her own large body of work but also for encouraging other writers and helping build a stronger literary community on Canada's West Coast.
She died in Vancouver on August 15, 1928. Though she is less widely read today than some of her contemporaries, she remains an important early Canadian author whose career shows how much women writers contributed to the country's cultural life.