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LARGEST CASH GIFT TO WRITERS IN CANADIAN HISTORY
WRITERS' TRUST RECEIVES CLOSE TO $2 MILLION FROM GEORGE AND INGEBORG WOODCOCK ESTATE
Vancouver - May 19, 2006 - The Writers' Trust of Canada announced today it has received an extraordinary $1.87 million gift from the estate of George and Ingeborg Woodcock. These funds will enable the Writers' Trust's Woodcock Fund to provide more than $100,000 annually to Canadian writers facing financial crises. Most of the monies available to Canadian writers are in the form of literary prizes; the Woodcock Fund is unique in that it offers help to struggling and established authors alike.
Ronald Wright, Chair of the Writers' Trust Woodcock Committee, explained: "The Woodcock Fund is one of the many enduring legacies funded by the Woodcock's generous, passionate, and unflagging engagement with the world. I was also lucky enough to know Inge and George personally over the past twenty years, ever since I was a young writer with a first book. Many authors received the Woodcocks' encouragement and friendship, which are rare gifts, and especially so from our heroes.";
The Woodcock fund was established in 1989 through the generosity of George and Ingeborg Woodcock, who sought to alleviate the devastating impact of financial instability endured by most writers. It is the only program of its kind in Canada. Since its inception, the Woodcock Fund has made an extraordinary difference in the lives of Canadian writers, distributing more than $420,000 in financial support to more than 110 writers.
"Writers are one of Canada's greatest exports,"; said Don Oravec, Executive Director of the Writers' Trust of Canada, "yet many endure near poverty. This increased support of the Woodcock Fund will encourage and preserve our literary heritage by rescuing those works that might otherwise be abandoned.";
Canada's writers, on average, earn less than $9,000 annually from their writing, according to A Study of Author Income, commissioned by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts in December 2003.
The Woodcock Fund recipients are guaranteed anonymity; however, some choose to offer their gratitude publicly:
The generous and timely patronage of the Woodcock Fund alleviated a huge emotional burden,"; said Pearl Luke, author of the recently published novel Madame Zee. "The emergency grant meant that I moved through a time of hardship and real despair, and it restored a sense of hopefulness about my career. I am forever grateful.";
The Writers' Trust hopes this announcement will alert Canadian writers to the existence and nature of the help offered through the Woodcock Fund.
A reception celebrating the $1.87 million bequest will be held on Wednesday, May 24 in Vancouver where the Woodcocks lived for most of their lives.
ABOUT GEORGE AND INGEBORG WOODCOCK
Editor, poet, critic, travel writer, historian, philosopher, essayist, biographer, autobiographer, political activist, university lecturer, librettist, humanitarian, gardener...George Woodcock was a literary champion, founder of the journal Canadian Literature in 1959, which provided a much-needed resource for the exploration and celebration of the works of Canadian literary authors.
While rooted in Canada and British Columbia, British-born George and his Austrian-born wife Inge kept a keen eye on political events in the rest of the world. After the Chinese takeover of Tibet, they took up the plight of displaced Tibetans and travelled to India to study Buddhism. There, they established a close friendship with the Dalai Lama who never forgot George and Inge's lifelong commitment to Tibetans both in Canada and in India through the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society, which they founded. Once the Tibetan refugees were largely settled, George and Inge turned their attention to their passion for India and founded the Canada India Village Aid Society which works to foster self-help schemes in rural Indian communities.
Worldwide, George Woodcock is best known for his books on the philosophy of anarchism and its history, and for his well-received biography of his friend George Orwell, The Crystal Spirit, for which he received the Governor General's Award in 1966. He taught at the University of British Columbia from 1955 into the 1970s, and was awarded an honourary DLitt by UBC in 1977 (he received five honorary degrees from other universities). He refused many awards, including the prestigious Order of Canada, choosing to accept only those given by his colleagues and peers.
In 1994, Vancouver's mayor awarded George Woodcock the Freedom of the City and declared May 7 as George Woodcock Day. Although George accepted the honour, ill health prevented him from attending the festivities, which included the largest gathering of authors in Western Canada (Margaret Atwood read out his speech), a gallery showing of new art created in his honour, and a two-day symposium celebrating his lifetime work at Simon Fraser University's downtown campus. Less than a year later, George Woodcock died at his home, at age 82, on January 28, 1995. Inge survived him until 2003.
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a national charitable organization providing a level of support to writers unmatched by any other non-governmental organization or foundation. Through its various programs and awards, it celebrates the talents and achievements of our country's novelists, poets, biographers, and non-fiction writers. The Writers' Trust is committed to exploring and introducing to future generations the traditions that will enrich our common literary heritage and strengthen Canada's cultural foundations. For more information, please visit www.writerstrust.com.
Vancouver - May 19, 2006 - The Writers' Trust of Canada announced today it has received an extraordinary $1.87 million gift from the estate of George and Ingeborg Woodcock. These funds will enable the Writers' Trust's Woodcock Fund to provide more than $100,000 annually to Canadian writers facing financial crises. Most of the monies available to Canadian writers are in the form of literary prizes; the Woodcock Fund is unique in that it offers help to struggling and established authors alike.
Ronald Wright, Chair of the Writers' Trust Woodcock Committee, explained: "The Woodcock Fund is one of the many enduring legacies funded by the Woodcock's generous, passionate, and unflagging engagement with the world. I was also lucky enough to know Inge and George personally over the past twenty years, ever since I was a young writer with a first book. Many authors received the Woodcocks' encouragement and friendship, which are rare gifts, and especially so from our heroes.";
The Woodcock fund was established in 1989 through the generosity of George and Ingeborg Woodcock, who sought to alleviate the devastating impact of financial instability endured by most writers. It is the only program of its kind in Canada. Since its inception, the Woodcock Fund has made an extraordinary difference in the lives of Canadian writers, distributing more than $420,000 in financial support to more than 110 writers.
"Writers are one of Canada's greatest exports,"; said Don Oravec, Executive Director of the Writers' Trust of Canada, "yet many endure near poverty. This increased support of the Woodcock Fund will encourage and preserve our literary heritage by rescuing those works that might otherwise be abandoned.";
Canada's writers, on average, earn less than $9,000 annually from their writing, according to A Study of Author Income, commissioned by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts in December 2003.
The Woodcock Fund recipients are guaranteed anonymity; however, some choose to offer their gratitude publicly:
The generous and timely patronage of the Woodcock Fund alleviated a huge emotional burden,"; said Pearl Luke, author of the recently published novel Madame Zee. "The emergency grant meant that I moved through a time of hardship and real despair, and it restored a sense of hopefulness about my career. I am forever grateful.";
The Writers' Trust hopes this announcement will alert Canadian writers to the existence and nature of the help offered through the Woodcock Fund.
A reception celebrating the $1.87 million bequest will be held on Wednesday, May 24 in Vancouver where the Woodcocks lived for most of their lives.
ABOUT GEORGE AND INGEBORG WOODCOCK
Editor, poet, critic, travel writer, historian, philosopher, essayist, biographer, autobiographer, political activist, university lecturer, librettist, humanitarian, gardener...George Woodcock was a literary champion, founder of the journal Canadian Literature in 1959, which provided a much-needed resource for the exploration and celebration of the works of Canadian literary authors.
While rooted in Canada and British Columbia, British-born George and his Austrian-born wife Inge kept a keen eye on political events in the rest of the world. After the Chinese takeover of Tibet, they took up the plight of displaced Tibetans and travelled to India to study Buddhism. There, they established a close friendship with the Dalai Lama who never forgot George and Inge's lifelong commitment to Tibetans both in Canada and in India through the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society, which they founded. Once the Tibetan refugees were largely settled, George and Inge turned their attention to their passion for India and founded the Canada India Village Aid Society which works to foster self-help schemes in rural Indian communities.
Worldwide, George Woodcock is best known for his books on the philosophy of anarchism and its history, and for his well-received biography of his friend George Orwell, The Crystal Spirit, for which he received the Governor General's Award in 1966. He taught at the University of British Columbia from 1955 into the 1970s, and was awarded an honourary DLitt by UBC in 1977 (he received five honorary degrees from other universities). He refused many awards, including the prestigious Order of Canada, choosing to accept only those given by his colleagues and peers.
In 1994, Vancouver's mayor awarded George Woodcock the Freedom of the City and declared May 7 as George Woodcock Day. Although George accepted the honour, ill health prevented him from attending the festivities, which included the largest gathering of authors in Western Canada (Margaret Atwood read out his speech), a gallery showing of new art created in his honour, and a two-day symposium celebrating his lifetime work at Simon Fraser University's downtown campus. Less than a year later, George Woodcock died at his home, at age 82, on January 28, 1995. Inge survived him until 2003.
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a national charitable organization providing a level of support to writers unmatched by any other non-governmental organization or foundation. Through its various programs and awards, it celebrates the talents and achievements of our country's novelists, poets, biographers, and non-fiction writers. The Writers' Trust is committed to exploring and introducing to future generations the traditions that will enrich our common literary heritage and strengthen Canada's cultural foundations. For more information, please visit www.writerstrust.com.
Submitted on May 22, 2006 in By David.
