Canadian author Alice Munro, born July 10, 1931, won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature as "master of the contemporary short story." Indeed, she is widely acclaimed for transforming the way short stories are written today.
Despite her talent and success, Munro announced her retirement shortly before winning the Nobel Prize. So far, she has remained true to her plans, although she admitted since, "Every day I have mixed messages to myself over whether I will retire... I have promised to retire but now and then I get an idea."
Munro received popular and critical acclaim after publishing her first collection of short stories, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968. The book earned Canada’s most prestigious literary prize, the Governor General’s Award.
Munro won the Governor General’s Award two times since as well as the Man Booker International Prize in 2009.
Here's some of the best of Alice Munro from around the web:
- Alice Munro: The Art of Fiction, No 137 (Paris Review)
- On "Dear Life": An Interview with Alice Munro (New Yorker)
- [Video] Alice Munro: Still Perfecting Her Craft (CBC Television)
- The Seeds of Prize Writing: Alice Munro Reveals Her Inspiration for Her Giller-Winning Story (National Post)
