Celebrated Canadian Author Graeme Gibson has died.
Penguin Random House Canada confirmed the news in a statement released today.
“We are devastated by the loss of Graeme, our beloved father, grandfather and spouse, but we are happy that he achieved the kind of swift exit he wanted and avoided the decline into further dementia that he feared,” Margaret Atwood, Gibson’s longtime partner said in a statement.
He had a lovely last few weeks, and he went out on a high, surrounded by love, friendship and appreciation. We are grateful for his wise, ethical, and committed life.”
Born in London, Ontario on August 9, 1934, Gibson was the author of the novels Five Legs, Communion, Perpetual Motion, and Gentleman Death. In addition to co-founding both the Writers’ Trust of Canada and the Writers’ Union of Canada, Gibson served as the president of PEN Canada, was the recipient of the Harbourfront Festival Prize and the Toronto Arts Award, and was a member of the Order of Canada. A committed conservationist, he was a council member of World Wildlife Fund Canada and chairman of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory.