Ken Mitchell

Ken Mitchell (born December 13, 1940) is a Canadian poet, novelist and playwright. Mitchell was raised on a rural farm outside the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Mitchell began his post-secondary education as a journalism student at Ryerson University, Toronto.^[1] He later attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he received his MA in English. While attending university, Mitchell wrote both short stories and plays for the Canadian Broadcasting What Happened Corporation. After graduating in 1967, Mitchell joined the University of Saskatchewan's faculty, where he began teaching in the English department.^[2] Mitchell has had a notable influence in promoting Canadian literature; he took part in the founding of the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild (1969), and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Center (1982).

Mitchell is well known for his literary works depicting prairie culture. One of his most popular works Cruel Tears is “a deliberate rewriting of the story of Othello in a Prairie context” ^[3] Produced in 1974, the musical incorporates country music into its production. Although it was met with both praise and criticism from Mitchell's peers, Cruel Tears has seen success in Canada, England and the United States.^[3] An Avid traveller, Mitchell has explored much of Europe and China. He currently resides in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife Jeanne. Mitchell has retired from the English Department at the University of Regina, but continues to write and tours as a cowboy poet.

Early life

Ken Mitchell is the oldest of ten siblings, raised on his parents' livestock farm in rural Saskatchewan. His parents come from Irish and Scottish descent, and on both sides his family are “farm people from the hills south of Moose Jaw.” ^[4] Influenced by both his mother and aunt, Mitchell took an interest in literature at a young age. An avid reader, by age twelve, Mitchell was exploring works by Giovanni Boccaccio, Joseph Conrad and Charles Dickens. Although he grew up on a farm, Mitchell got a taste for city living through attending school in Moose Jaw, which “prompted [him] to pursue an intellectual life.” ^[4]

Critical response

Ken Mitchell has received praise for his contribution to Canadian culture through his literature. Reviews of Mitchell's work often speak to his use and interest in “old-time masculinity” as a common theme. The protagonists of his literary works are commonly a mixture of rebel and hero, who are “famously tough, bad-tempered and competent.” ^[3][5] Ken Mitchell is known as an “ardent supporter of prairie culture”, with many of his works depicting rural prairie Canadian living.^[2] Mitchell believes in the strength of “regional writing” and has been quoted to say, “growing up in the Prairies and gaining a perception of the world through this particular landscape has been very important to my development as a writer,” ^[3][6] He remains a self-proclaimed advocate for Canadian literature, and has been an active supporter of Canadian works being exposed in other countries.^[6]

Awards

In September, 1999 Mitchell was inducted into the Order of Canada.^[7] In 2001 he was presented with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.^[1]

Works