This is a list of Canadian literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars.

- See also

A

• Milton Acorn (1923-1986) poet, has published 18 volumes of poetry
• Ian Adams (born 1937)
• Charlotte Vale Allen (also known as Katherine Marlowe) (born 1941) romantic novels, expert on child abuse
• Grant Allen (1848-1899), The Woman Who Did
• Sidney Allinson
• George Amabile (born 1936)
• Rod Anderson
• Hubert Aquin (1929-1977) modernist Quebecois novelist
• Gilles Archambault (born 1933)
• Jeannette Armstrong (born 1948)
• David Arnason
• Joanne Arnott (born 1960)
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939) The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Alias Grace, Surfacing
• Phillipe-Ignace Francois Aubert du Gaspe (1814-1841), author of the first French Canadian novel.
• Margaret Avison (born 1918) poet, has published 8 volumes of poetry

B

• Ken Babstock
• D.F. Bailey
• Himani Bannerji
• Volodimir Barabash (1900-1989), poet
• Bruce Barber
• Steve Bareham
• Gary Barwin (born 1964) novelist and children's author
• Ronald Bates
• Bill Bauer
• Nancy Bauer
• Henry Beissel, (born 1929)
• William Bell
• Nigel Bennett
• Pierre Berton (born 1920) prolific author of Canadian History, journalist and TV personality
• Dennison Berwick (born 1956), literary travel author now working in fiction
• Gerard Bessette (born 1920), Quebecois author
• Carol Biberstein, children's book Great Grandma's Rocking Chair
• Sandra Birdsell, (born 1942), has published 3 works of short fiction and 3 novels
• Earle Birney (1904-1995) anti-conventional poet, also wrote novels, short stories, drama
• Bill Bissett (born 1939) poet, famous for incorporating sound and the visual into poetry
• Lise Bissonnette
• Neil Bissoondath (born 1955)
• Marie-Claire Blais (born 1939)
• Clark Blaise (born 1940)
• Christian Bök (born 1966), poet, author of Eunoia
• Stephanie Bolster
• Roo Borson, (born 1952)
• Hédi Bouraoui
• Nicholas Boving
• George Bowering (born 1935)
• Marilyn Bowering (born 1949), poet and novelist
• David Boyd
• George Elroy Boyd
• Catherine Bradford
• Karleen Bradford
• Max Braithwaite (1911-1995) prairie depression era fiction
• Dionne Brand (1953- ) poet born in Trinidad and Tobago
• Di Brandt (1952 - ) Manitoba poet and literary critic
• Jacques Brault (1933- )
• Brian Brett
• Robert Bringhurst (1946- ) poet, author, and typographer
• David Bromige (1944- ) poet
• Barry Broadfoot (1926-2003) interviewer, author
• Bertram Brooker theosophist painter
• Nicole Brossard (1943- ) formalist poet
• Robert Budde (1966- ) poet and novelist
• Margaret Buffie
• Bonnie Burnard (1945- ) novelist, The Good House
• Mick Burrs
• Sharon Butala (1940- )
• Anthony M. Buzzelli

C

• Barry Callaghan (born 1937) novelist and journalist
• Morley Callaghan (1903-1990) novelist and writer of short fiction, wrote A Fine and Private Place
• Elspeth Cameron, (born 1943) biographer
• Silver Donald Cameron (born 1937)
• James Cameron (born 1910) poet and critic
• Phil Campagna
• Natalee Caple
• Bliss Carman (1861-1929) poet, wrote Low Tide on Grand Pre
• David Carpenter
• Roch Carrier (born 1937) French-Canadian novelist and writer of short fiction, wrote La Guerre, Yes Sir!, as well as the children's story The Hockey Sweater (Le chandail de hockey)
• Anne Carson, (born 1950)
• Gillian Chan
• Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761), first historian of New France.
• Wayson Choy (born 1939)
• Lesley Choyce (born 1951)
• Greg Clark (1892-1977), humourist
• Austin Clarke (born 1934)
• George Elliott Clarke (born 1960) poet, U of T professor
• Lynn Coady (born 1970)
• Leonard Cohen, (born 1934), poet and singer
• Matt Cohen (born 1942)
• Samuel Nathan Cohen (1923-1971) drama critic
• Helena Coleman
• John Robert Columbo (born 1936), poet and compiler of reference books
• Karen Connelly (born 1969)
• Ralph Conner (also known as Charles William Gordon), The Man from Glengarry, Glengarry School Days.
• George Ramsay Cook (born 1931), historian
• Hugh Cook (born 1942)
• Michael Cook
• Dennis Cooley (born 1944)
• Doug Cooper
• John Paul Copeland
• Thomas B. Costain (1885-1965), historical fiction
• Douglas Coupland, (born 1961), Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma
• Isabella Valancy Crawford
• Donald Creighton (1902-1979), historian
• Octave Crémazie (1827-1879), French-Canadian poet
• Lynn Crosbie daring prose stylist
• Lorna Crozier (born 1948)
• Michael Crummey
• Peter Cummings
• Alan Cumyn (born 1960)
• Richard Cumyn
• Herb Curtis
• Leona Czwartkowski (born 1949), author, poet, and eMedia artist

D

• Annie Charlton Dalton
• Frank Davey (1940- )
• Robertson Davies, (1913-1995) wrote Fifth Business (1970), publisher, professor, journalist
• Mazo de la Roche (1879-1961), Jalna saga
• Charles de Lint
• Sandra Dempsey
• Barry Dempster
• Alexander Dewdney computer science and philosophy
• Christopher Dewdney (1951- )
• Mary di Michele
• Kildare Dobbs (1923- ) short story writer
• Cory Doctorow (1971- )
• Don Domanski (1950- )
• Candas Dorsey (1960- )
• Heather Down
• Clive Doucet
• William Henry Drummond, (1854-1907), poet, The habitant
• Marcel Dubé
• Réjean Ducharme (1941- )
• Louis Dudek (1918-2001), poet
• Dave Duncan (1933- )
• Margaret Dyment

E

• Eaton, Edith Maude (1865-1914), author
• Eaton, Winnifred (1875-1954), author
• Howard Engel (1931- ), mystery writer
• Marian Engel (1933-1985), novelist
• C. J. Everon , (born 1971), historian and novelist

F

• Emil Ludwig Fackenheim (1916-2003), historian, philosopher
• Edmundo Farolan
• Brian Fawcett
• Trevor Ferguson (1947- )
• Jacques Ferron (1921-1985), playwright
• Joy Fielding (1945- ), novelist
• B.K. Filson
• Timothy Findley, (1930-2002), The Wars, Pilgrim
• Sheree Fitch
• Judith Fitzgerald
• Barbara Fletcher
• Helen Forrester (1919- ), novelist
• Cecil Foster
• Tess Fragoulis
• Brad Fraser
• John Anderson Fraser (1944- ), author former editor of Saturday Night Magazine
• Raymond Fraser author of "Rum River", Costa Blanca", etc.
• Sylvia Fraser (1935- ), novelist
• Louis Fréchette, (1839-1908), poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist
• David French (1939- ), playwright
• Patrick Friesen
• Robert Froetsch
• Northrop Frye (1912-1991), influential critic, Shakespeare and Blake scholar
• Robert Fulford autodictat, journalist
• Nicola Furlong
• James V. Fusco

G

• Grover Gall
• Mavis Gallant (born 1922)
• Francois Xavier Garneau (1809-1866), writer and historian
• Saint-Denys Garneau (1912-1943), poet
• Hugh Garner (1913-1979), novelist
• Pauline Gedge (born 1945), novelist
• Camilla Gibb (born 1968), novelist
• Graem C. Gibson (born 1934), novelist
• Margaret Gibson
• William Gibson (born 1948) Pioneering cyberpunk author, Neuromancer, All Tomorrow's Parties
• Sky Gilbert
• Joanna Glass
• Jacques Godbout
• David Godfrey
• Robert Goldsmith (1794-1861), first English-language Canadian poet
• Leona Gom
• Phyllis Gotlieb (born 1926), poet and science-fiction writer
• Sondra Gotlieb (born 1936), newspaper columnist
• Hiromi Goto
• Katherine Govier (born 1948)
• Lee Gowan
• Barbara Gowdy (born 1950) The Romantic; The White Bone and short stories
• Neile Graham
• George Grant (1918-1988), historian
• Ed Greenwood, fantasy novelist and Forgotten Realms creator
• Grey Owl (1888-1938), conservationist
• John Grey
• Frederick Phillip Grove (1879-1948)
• Richard Grove
• Genni Gunn (born 1949)
• Kristjana Gunnars
• Ralph Gustafson (1909-1995), poet
• Sandra Gwyn (born 1935), novelist

H

• Joan Haggerty
• Roderick Haig-Brown (1941- )
• Arthur Hailey (1920-2004), indefatigable researcher, author of Hotel (1965), Airport (1968)
• Thomas Chandler Haliburton One of Canada's first authors, writer of The Clockmaker series
• Jane Hamilton
• Claire Harris (1937- )
• Marjorie Harris
• Kristen den Hartog
• Elisabeth Harvor
• Barbara Haworth-Attard (1953- )
• Anne Hébert, Acadian author, educator Kamouraska
• Steven Heighton
• David Helwig
• Louis Hémon (1880-1913), novelist and journalist, Maria Chapdelaine
• John Herbert
• Sheila Heti
• Tomson Highway (1951- ) native playwright Dry Lips Moved to Kapuskasing
• Robert Hilles (1951- )
• Jack Hodgins (1938- )
• Greg Hollingshead (1947- )
• Hugh Hood (1928-2000), Master work is 12 volume novel-series (The New Age).
• Cornelia Hoogland (1952- )
• Nalo Hopkinson
• Jan Horner
• Harold Horwood (1923- )
• Tanya Huff
• Matt Hughes
• Bruce Hunter
• Catherine Hunter
• Maureen Hunter
• Nancy Huston (born 1953)
• Hazel Hutchins
• Bruce Hutchison

I

• Michael Ignatieff
• Susan Ioannou (1944- )
• Joan Irvine

J

• Donald Jack (1924-2003)
• J. Robert Janes (born 1932)
• Mark Anthony Jarman
• K.V. Johansen (1968- )
• E. Pauline Johnson (1861-1913)
• Wayne Johnston
• Andy Jones comedic playwright and performer
• Terry Jordan
• John Joyce

K

• Surjeet Kalsey
• Smaro Kamboureli
• Alan Kane (1954- ), Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies
• Welwyn Wilton Katz
• Guy Gavriel Kay (1954- ) fantasy genre fiction
• Lionel Kearns (1937- )
• Crawford Kilian
• Crad Kilodney
• Jack King
• Thomas King (1943- )
• Mark Kingwell
• W.P. Kinsella (1935- ), writes novels about baseball and natives Field of Dreams
• Alex Kizuk
• Raymond Knister
• Joy Kogawa, Obasan
• Lawrence Kootnikoff
• Gordon Korman
• Myrna Kostash
• Henry Kriesel
• John Krizanc
• Robert Kroetsch (1927- )
• Robert N. Kucey, (1940- )

L

• Tim Lander
• Patrick Lane (1939- ), poet
• Evelyn Lau (1971- )
• Margaret Laurence (1926 - 1987) novelist, wrote "The Stone Angel"
• Irving Layton (1912- )
• Stephen Leacock, (1869-1944), McGill University economics and political science prof. text book writer and intenational renowned humorist
• Dennis Lee (1939- ) - writer of children's poetry
• Sky Lee
• Mark Leiren-Young (1962- )
• John Lent
• Dorothy Livesay
• Pat Lowther, poet (1935-1975)
• Malcolm Lowry, (1909-1957) wrote Under the Volcano in Canada (1947)

M

• Agnes Maule Machar
• Ann-Marie MacDonald
• Bernell MacDonald, (born 1950)
• Hugh MacDonald
• Jake MacDonald
• Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941-1987)
• Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
• Hugh MacLennan (1907-1990) novelist and essayist, wrote Two Solitudes and Barometer Rising
• Michael MacLennan
• Alistair MacLeod, (born 1936)
• Elizabeth Macleod, biographer
• Antonine Maillet (born 1929), Acadian author, educator
• Kevin Major (born 1949)
• Eli Mandel
• Miriam Mandel
• David Manicom (born 1960) poet, novelist, diplomat.
• Lee Maracle (born 1950) Poet/novelist from the Squamish Nation. She was one of the first Aboriginal people to be published in the early 1970s.
• Daphne Marlatt (born 1942)
• John Marlyn, (1912-1985)
• David Margoshes (born 1941)
• Nicole Markotic
• Yann Martel, (born 1963), 2002 Booker Prize Winner
• Carol Matas (born 1949)
• Shirlee Smith Matheson
• Steve McCaffery
• Nellie McClung, crusading journalist, MP
• John McCrae, (1872-1918), ("In Flanders' Fields")
• David McFadden
• James McIntyre, (1827-1906), the "Cheese Poet," known as the worst poet in Canadian history
• Don McKay poet
• Rhonda McLean
• Marshall McLuhan, (1911-1980), English professor and media studies author
• Susan McMaster
• Robert McNeil
• Sylvia McNicoll
• John Metcalf (born 1938)
• Anne Michaels
• Christine Michels
• Roy Miki
• Rohinton Mistry, (born 1952), Such a Long Journet, A Fine Balance
• Jane Mitchell
• Jared Mitchell
• W.O. Mitchell (1914-1998), Who has Seen the Wind
• Lucy Maud Montgomery, (1874-1942), Anne of Green Gables
• Susanna Moodie (nee Strickland), (1803-1885), Roughing it in the Bush
• Brian Moore (1921-1999)
• Jeffrey Moore (born 1952)
• Lisa Moore
• Keith Moreau , (born 1951), writer and illustrator of children's books like ABC Fun Things Book
• Edythe Morahan de Lauzon, poet
• Pierre Morency (born 1942), poet and playwright
• Bernice Morgan
• Donna Morrissey
• Kim Morrissey
• Colin Morton
• Daniel David Moses, Aboriginal poet and playwright
• Tara Moss (born 1973) - wrote Fetish
• Erin Moure
• Farley Mowat, (born 1921) Never Cry Wolf, My Discovery of America
• Karen Mulholland
• Robert Munsch (born 1945), American born writer of children's stories
• Allison Muri
• Alice Munro, (born 1931)
• Jim Munroe
• John Murrell
• Jai Murugan
• Susan Musgrave (born 1951), poet and novelist

N

• Brian Nation
• Émile Nelligan, (1879-1941), French-Canadian poet
• John Newlove
• George D. Nicholls
• Kimberlley Nickmann
• bpNichol (1944-1988), poet
• Hal Niedzviecki
• James Norman
• Henri Nouwen
• Alden Nowlan (1933-1983)

O

• Sheldon Oberman
• Michael Ondaatje, (1943- ) wrote The English Patient (1993)
• Kenneth Oppel
• Stephen Osborne

P

• P.K. Page (born 1916)
• Kevin Patterson
• Len Peterson
• Marjorie Pickthall
• Ted Plantos
• Simone Poirier-Bures
• Daniel Poliquin
• Sharon Pollock (born 1936)
• Jacques Poulin, "The "Jimmy" Trilogy" (translated titled)
• B.W. Powe
• E.J. Pratt (1883-1964), poet
• Robert Priest, poet
• Jean Baptiste Proulx , (1846-1904), dramatist and essayist
• Al Purdy (born 1918), poet

Q

• Darlene Quaife
• Paul Quarrington (born 1953)

R

• Thomas Raddall (1903-1994), historical novelist
• Gurcharan Rampuri
• Michael Redhill
• Nino Ricci (born 1959)
• David Adams Richards, (1950- )
• Mordecai Richler, (1931-2001) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959)
• Gwen Pharis Ringwood (1910-1984), Western Canadian playwright
• Ringuet (Phllipe Panneton) (1895-1960)
• Sir Charles G.D. Roberts (1860-1943) author of a number of "animal stories"
• Ken Roberts
• Paul William Roberts
• Eden Robinson
• Spider Robinson American born Science-Fiction/humour writer, "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon"
• Don Rogalski
• Richard Rohmer (born 1924)
• Linda Rogers
• Leon Rooke (born 1934)
• Patrick Roscoe
• Sinclair Ross 1908-1996, renowned short story author
• Gabrielle Roy, (1909-1983)The Tin Flute
• Jane Rule (born 1931)
• George Ryga (1932-1987), playwright and novelist

S

• Michelle Sagara West, fantasy author
• Rick Salutin (born 1942), political writer, essayist editor
• John Ralston Saul, (born 1947) businessman, essayist, diplomat
• Robert J. Sawyer, (born 1960)
• Andreas Schroeder
• Alvin Schwartz
• Duncan Scott (1862-1947), poet
• Frank Scott (1899-1985), poet
• Djanet Sears, playwright and actor
• Shyam Selvadurai
• Robert W. Service (1874-1958), poet of the Yukon
• Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946)
• Mark Shainblum
• Murphy O. Shewchuk
• Carol Shields, (1935-2003)
• Maggie Siggins
• Marsha Skrypuch
• Josef Skvorecky (born 1924 in Czechoslovakia, professor of English in Canada since 1969, but still writing his fiction in Czech), novelist, essayist, The Engineer of Human Souls (1984 Governor General's Award)
• Joshua Slocum (1844-1909), sailor and author
• Beverly Slopen
• Elizabeth Smart, (1913-1986)
• Russell Smith
• Taylor Smith
• Evan Solomon
• Raymond Souster (born 1921), poet
• Esta Spalding
• Adrian Speyer (1977-), poet and author
• Birk Sproxton (1943- )
• Richard Stevenson
• Kathy Stinson
• Anne Stone
• Samuel Strickland , (1804-1867) Twenty-seven Years in Canada West
• Rosemary Sullivan
• Rita Summers
• James L. Swanson
• Robert Sward
• Mark Swartz
• George Swede
• Scott Symons
• Anne Szumigalski

T

• Kevin Taylor
• Timothy Taylor
• Yves Theriault (1915-1983)
• Sharon Thesen
• Audrey Thomas
• Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946) wrote about the Canadian wilderness
• John Thompson
• Elizabeth Thornton
• Miriam Toews
• Morley Torgov (born 1927)
• Catharine Parr Traill (nee Strickland) (1802-1899), Life in the Backwoods of Canada
• Rhea Tregebov
• Michel Tremblay (born 1942)
• Dietmar Trommeshauser
• Maxine Trottier
• Stuart Douglas Trueman
• Élise Turcotte
• Michael Turner

U

• Jane Urquhart (born 1949), novelist

V

• W.D. Valgardson , The Girl with the Bottecelli Face
• Pierre Vallières
• Edo Van Belkom
• Guy Vanderhaeghe (1951- )
• Kees Vanderhayden
• Brain Vanderlip
• Aritha Van Herk (1954- ),
• A. E. van Vogt (1912-2000), science fiction writer
• Jean Vanier
• M.G. Vassanji
• Margaret Visser

W

• Fred Wah
• Bronwen Wallace
• Ted Warnell
• David Watmough
• Sheila Watson (1909-1998),
• Alison Wearing
• John Weier
• Elizabeth Wellburn
• Frank Westcott
• Mavis West
• Thomas Wharton
• Rudy Wiebe (1934- ), novelist
• Diana Wieler , Bad Boy, Drive
• Ethel Wilson (1888-1980), Swamp Angel, Hettie Dorval, "The Window"
• Rob Winger
• Michael Winter
• Adele Wiseman (1928-1992), novelist and poet
• Beverly Wood
• George Woodcock (1912-1995), poet, critic and anarchist, author of Anarchism
• Patrick Woodcock
• Marnie Woodrow
• Lance Woolaver
• Eric Wright (1929- ), children's mystery writer
• L.R. Wright

Y

• Scott Young (1918- ), novelist

Z

• Robert L.J. Zenik (1950- ), poet, writer, and eMedia artist
• Jan Zwicky

See also

• List of Canadian poets
• List of Canadian playwrights
• List of Canadian children's writers
• List of Canadian short story writers
• List of Canadian science fiction authors
• List of Canadian historians
• List of Quebec writers
• List of French Canadian writers from outside Quebec
• List of famous Canadians
• Lists of authors