Alden Nowlan

1933-1983

Poet, author and journalist Alden Nowlan was born at Windsor, Nova Scotia on 25 January 1933. Largely self-educated, Nowlan was named writer-in-residence at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton in 1968 and held that post until his death in 1983. The university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1971.  In 1967 Nowlan's Bread, Wine and Salt won the Governor General's Award. Other works include Playing the Jesus Game (1970) and Between Tears and Laughter (1971). Nowlan also wrote plays, short stories, a novel and a column for the Saint John Telegraph Journal. While at UNB Nowlan, with St. Thomas University professor Leo Ferrari and writer Raymond Fraser, organized The Flat Earth Society of Canada. Attempting to promote critical thinking, the society disputed one thing that "scientific Western civilization" considers indisputable -- namely, that the earth is round. Nowlan wrote several tractates for the society which set out its views. He also worked with the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission, writing the book, Campobello: The Outer Island. Alden Nowlan died at Fredericton on 27 June 1983.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Saint John, Fredericton, Hartland

Archival Material

• Alden Nowlan fonds (UofCalgary)
  ⌄
  Location

  University of Calgary Archives & Special Collections

  Website/Catalogue Record

  View Archival Record

  Retrieval Number

  Fonds F0008

  Date Range of Material

  [192-]-1997

  Extent

  18.06 m of textual records; 130 sound recordings; 44 videocassettes; 6 photographs; 1 compact disc.

  Scope and Content Note

  Fonds consists of the following series for MsC 40: correspondence (1949-1984); drama (1969-1982); fiction (ca. 1952-1984); poetry (ca. 1951-1983); prose (1950, 1963-1983); published works (1951-1983); audio-visual (192-, 1954-1984); miscellaneous (1952-1984); works on Nowlan (1953-1984); and four small appendices (MsC 59, 61, 106, 119) consisting of material relating to A. Nowlan and acquired from other sources. MsC 59 consists of a sound cassette Remembering Alden Nowlan, taped at a Theatre New Brunswick event paying tribute to A. Nowlan. MsC 106 is a draft of A gift to last, revised by co-author Walter J. Learning in 1989. MsC 119 consists of promotional material for a production of Frankenstein : the man who became god. For description of MsC 61 see entry under Rachel Paulson Pride. Accession 523/92.21 consists of poetry manuscripts; notebooks; reviews and other material relating to publication or productions of A. Nowlan's work after his death in 1983; and twenty-four sound recordings of interviews, radio broadcasts of A. Nowlan's works, tributes paid to the author and other miscellaneous events. Accession 569/95.5 consists of material relating to A. Nowlan including v. 2, no. 4, Summer 1963 issue of Amethyst devoted to him.

• Alden Nowlan fonds (UNB)
  ⌄
  Location

  University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections

  Website/Catalogue Record

  View Archival Record

  Retrieval Number

  MG L 2

  Date Range of Material

  1958-1962

  Extent

  4.5 cm of textual records

  Scope and Content Note

  Fonds includes rough drafts of poems and two short stories as well as galley proofs of short stories and typescripts of poems written at Hartland and Saint John, NB between 1958 and 1962. The fonds also includes copies of tributes to Nowlan, copies of published volumes, copies of articles by Nowlan, and reviews of his works.