Brian Doyle

Who is Brian Doyle?

Brian Doyle is a Canadian writer whose children's books have been adapted into both movies and plays. Many of his stories are drawn from his experiences growing up in Ottawa and vicinity. For his contribution as a children's writer, he was awarded the prestigious NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2005 and was one of five finalists in 1998 and again in 2008 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books.

Among Canada's most distinguished authors of middle-grade and young-adult novels, Brian Doyle is acclaimed as an exceptional storyteller as well as a talented writer whose works reflect both insight and sensitivity in depicting the moral dilemmas of young people. Doyle's books take place in both historical and contemporary periods and his sense of humour is considered one of his most appealing features. His writings evoke a strong sense of location, reflecting urban Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley. Angel Square and Easy Avenue are set in Ottawa in the 1940s and 50's; Spud Sweetgrass represents Ottawa in the early 1990s.