dwright

Personal Information

Full Name

Donald Wright

Bio

Donald Wright is currently writing a biography of Donald Creighton. He is the author of The Professionalization of History in English Canada and a member of the Department of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick.

Affiliation

University of New Brunswick

Country

Canada

Personal Statement About Topic

Why Donald Creighton? It was his writing that first captivated me. I remember reading Canada’s First Century as an undergraduate and being overwhelmed by its author’s capacity to braid so many themes into a seamless, compelling, fast-moving narrative. Later, as a graduate student, I had an opportunity to consult his papers at the National Archives (now Library and Archives Canada). Over the course of that long, hot summer, the man himself captivated me. In him were a host of contradictions: insight and blindness; generosity and pettiness; strength and fragility. His life, meanwhile, conformed to a fascinating narrative arc: the great historian who became a pariah in his own country. He once told Eugene Forsey that “Nobody would want to write a proper biography of me.” I decided then and there that one day I would write a proper biography of Donald Grant Creighton.

Case studies by Donald Wright

Case study :

Donald Creighton, John Gray, and the Making of Macdonald

Historian Donald Creighton established his reputation with the publication of his first book in 1937. He confirmed that reputation in his monumental two-volume biography of Sir John A. Macdonald.