Alfred A. Knopf Canada - familiarly known as "Knopf Canada" - has long been recognized as one of the premier Canadian publishers of literary fiction and non-fiction. Taking its name from the New York-based firm founded in 1915 by Alfred Knopf and his wife, Blanche, Knopf Canada's books have become synonymous, like those of their namesake, with outstanding literary merit and high quality craftsmanship, and are distinguished by the Borzoi logo.
In 1991, Ajai Singh "Sonny" Mehta, president of Alfred A. Knopf, approached Louise Dennys - preeminent editor and publisher of such cultural icons as Josef Skvorecky, Graham Greene, Mordecai Richler, Jeanette Winterson, Alberto Manguel, Rudy Wiebe, Ian McEwan, Italo Calvino, Michael Ondaatje, Susan Swan, Martin Amis - to create and run a Canadian arm of Knopf within the long-established offices of Random House of Canada. Louise Dennys, for many years a passionate devotee of Canadian and international writing at her renowned Toronto publishing house Lester & Orpen Dennys, possessed a vision that dovetailed perfectly with Alfred and Blanche's original commitment to publish compelling books of the highest literary merit. A champion of Canadian writers abroad, Louise was amongst the first to spearhead the sale of Canadian authors' book rights to other countries, opening up the the world to their work. Sonny saw in Louise the ideal person to establish and direct Knopf Canada.
For the first 18 months, Dennys, with one editor and one assistant, ran Knopf Canada from her Spadina Gardens apartment, while Random House of Canada made arrangements to move its editorial offices from Mississauga to downtown Toronto. Knopf Canada's first list, published only four months after its inception, included From Ink Lake, a collection of Canadian stories selected by Michael Ondaatje, Toni Morrison's Jazz, Vaclav Havel's Summer Meditations and Cronenberg on Cronenberg, the Canadian filmmaker's autobiography. The first list telegraphed the new publishing house's interest in the best of domestic and foreign writing - thoughtful non-fiction as well as fiction - combining great literary merit and strong commercial potential. It established the imprint's commitment to bringing the best of the world to Canada and the best of Canada to the world.
In addition to a stable of established, award-winning Canadian writers, such as Mordecai Richler, Wayne Johnston, Rudy Wiebe, Alberto Manguel, Matt Cohen, and Janet Lunn, Knopf Canada is a champion of up-and-coming writers. In the Spring of 1996, Knopf Canada launched its New Face of Fiction (NFOF) campaign to help raise the profile of fledgling Canadian writers. In its debut year Ann-Marie MacDonald's first novel, Fall on Your Knees, was published as an NFOF title. It went on to sell over 200,000 copies. Also published under the NFOF banner are such success stories as Gail Anderson-Dargatz's The Cure for Death by Lightning, Dionne Brand's In Another Place, Not Here, Erika de Vasconcelos's My Darling Dead Ones, Shauna Singh Baldwin's What the Body Remembers, and David Macfarlane's Summer Gone.
Since those early days in Louise Dennys' Spadina Gardens apartment, Knopf Canada has had many successes. In 1997, the company played a critical role in garnering the prestigious Publisher of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for Random House of Canada, an honour that recognized "the excellence of Knopf Canada's publishing programme and its outstanding contribution to Canadian culture". Knopf Canada has also published countless national bestsellers, including the works of Michael Ondaatje, John Irving, Derek Lundy, and Salman Rushdie. Every year it produces many award-winning titles, such as the Booker Prize winner Amsterdam by Ian McEwan, Commonwealth Writers Prize winners The Electrical Field by Kerri Sakamoto and Eucalyptus by Murray Bail, and Giller Prize winner Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler. With its authors winning Commonwealth Prizes four years in a row, Knopf Canada has also been proud to have numerous Governor General's Award-winning books on its list, including Elizabeth and After by Matt Cohen (1999); The Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn (1998); Drumblair by Rachel Manley (1997); and A Discovery of Strangers by Rudy Wiebe (1994).
In the years ahead, Knopf Canada pledges to continue publishing works marked by original, intelligent perspectives. Whether they take the form of novel, short story, travelogue, biography, or any other guise in between, Knopf Canada will foster compelling, literary books with vital roles to play in our everyday lives and in shaping our cultural vision.
In 1991, Ajai Singh "Sonny" Mehta, president of Alfred A. Knopf, approached Louise Dennys - preeminent editor and publisher of such cultural icons as Josef Skvorecky, Graham Greene, Mordecai Richler, Jeanette Winterson, Alberto Manguel, Rudy Wiebe, Ian McEwan, Italo Calvino, Michael Ondaatje, Susan Swan, Martin Amis - to create and run a Canadian arm of Knopf within the long-established offices of Random House of Canada. Louise Dennys, for many years a passionate devotee of Canadian and international writing at her renowned Toronto publishing house Lester & Orpen Dennys, possessed a vision that dovetailed perfectly with Alfred and Blanche's original commitment to publish compelling books of the highest literary merit. A champion of Canadian writers abroad, Louise was amongst the first to spearhead the sale of Canadian authors' book rights to other countries, opening up the the world to their work. Sonny saw in Louise the ideal person to establish and direct Knopf Canada.
For the first 18 months, Dennys, with one editor and one assistant, ran Knopf Canada from her Spadina Gardens apartment, while Random House of Canada made arrangements to move its editorial offices from Mississauga to downtown Toronto. Knopf Canada's first list, published only four months after its inception, included From Ink Lake, a collection of Canadian stories selected by Michael Ondaatje, Toni Morrison's Jazz, Vaclav Havel's Summer Meditations and Cronenberg on Cronenberg, the Canadian filmmaker's autobiography. The first list telegraphed the new publishing house's interest in the best of domestic and foreign writing - thoughtful non-fiction as well as fiction - combining great literary merit and strong commercial potential. It established the imprint's commitment to bringing the best of the world to Canada and the best of Canada to the world.
In addition to a stable of established, award-winning Canadian writers, such as Mordecai Richler, Wayne Johnston, Rudy Wiebe, Alberto Manguel, Matt Cohen, and Janet Lunn, Knopf Canada is a champion of up-and-coming writers. In the Spring of 1996, Knopf Canada launched its New Face of Fiction (NFOF) campaign to help raise the profile of fledgling Canadian writers. In its debut year Ann-Marie MacDonald's first novel, Fall on Your Knees, was published as an NFOF title. It went on to sell over 200,000 copies. Also published under the NFOF banner are such success stories as Gail Anderson-Dargatz's The Cure for Death by Lightning, Dionne Brand's In Another Place, Not Here, Erika de Vasconcelos's My Darling Dead Ones, Shauna Singh Baldwin's What the Body Remembers, and David Macfarlane's Summer Gone.
Since those early days in Louise Dennys' Spadina Gardens apartment, Knopf Canada has had many successes. In 1997, the company played a critical role in garnering the prestigious Publisher of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for Random House of Canada, an honour that recognized "the excellence of Knopf Canada's publishing programme and its outstanding contribution to Canadian culture". Knopf Canada has also published countless national bestsellers, including the works of Michael Ondaatje, John Irving, Derek Lundy, and Salman Rushdie. Every year it produces many award-winning titles, such as the Booker Prize winner Amsterdam by Ian McEwan, Commonwealth Writers Prize winners The Electrical Field by Kerri Sakamoto and Eucalyptus by Murray Bail, and Giller Prize winner Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler. With its authors winning Commonwealth Prizes four years in a row, Knopf Canada has also been proud to have numerous Governor General's Award-winning books on its list, including Elizabeth and After by Matt Cohen (1999); The Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn (1998); Drumblair by Rachel Manley (1997); and A Discovery of Strangers by Rudy Wiebe (1994).
In the years ahead, Knopf Canada pledges to continue publishing works marked by original, intelligent perspectives. Whether they take the form of novel, short story, travelogue, biography, or any other guise in between, Knopf Canada will foster compelling, literary books with vital roles to play in our everyday lives and in shaping our cultural vision.
