(left: signed 1973 Oberon pb; cover: Alfred Pellam; design: Michael Macklem; right: signed 1975 Oberon pb; design: Michael Macklem)
Winnipeg-born W.(illiam) D. (empsey) Valgardson (1936-) was raised in the Gimli, MB area and has written about ordinary life in the Interlake region of Manitoba. He was a long-time professor at the U of Victoria and his stories have been filmed (e.g., “God Is Not a Fish Inspector” and performed on CBC Radio. His novels include Gentle Sinners (1980) and The Girl with the Botticelli Face (1992). I selected his well-crafted story “Identities” to stimulate critical questioning techniques for senior high school students in Inside Stories III (Harcourt).