Martyn Godfrey

Who was Martyn Godfrey?

Martyn Godfrey was an English-Canadian author of children's fantasy and science fiction books. Born in Birmingham, England, he moved to Toronto, Ontario when he was eight. Godfrey graduated from University of Alberta in 1974 with a teacher education degree.

Godfrey began writing children's stories in the 1980s. In 1989, he was the Edmonton Public Library’s writer-in-residence, and that same year won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for his book, Mystery in the Frozen Lands. He became one of Canada's most popular and prolific children's writers. He went on to sell millions of books, both in Canada and throughout the rest of the world.

In 2000, he died of complications due to liver disease. After his death, the Young Alberta Book Society began presenting an annual Martyn Godfrey Young Writers' Award in his name through the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association.