Calgary & Southern Alberta

Aritha van Herk
Text and image courtesy of Wordfest 98

Born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, in 1954 to Dutch immigrants, Aritha van Herk grew up in rural Alberta. Educated at the University of Alberta, van Herk studied literature and creative writing and became a novelist, short story writer, editor, literary critic and feminist. She began teaching at the University of Calgary in 1983. Her first novel, Judith (1978), about a secretary turned pig farmer, earned her the Seal Canadian First Novel Award. Her second novel, The Tent Pig (1981), takes place in the Canadian North and is told from a female perspective. Another novel, No Fixed-Address: An Amorous Journey earned her a Governor General’s Award nomination. She brings her insights into landscape and literature to her most recent book, Restlessness. Van Herk has also published numerous articles in journals and magazines.