Background

Hugh Cook was born on the 28th of June, 1942 in the Hague, Netherlands, and immigrated to Canada with his family in 1950.

Education

Hugh Cook completed a Bachelor's degree in English at Calvin College in 1964. Later in 1967, he earned a Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1978.

Career

Hugh Cook started his career as a professor of English at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa and at Redeemer College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He also served as a Lecturer at Calvin College in 2001.

Cook’s first literary output consisted of poems published in Canadian literary journals such as Quarry, Canadian Poetry, The Canadian Forum, Folio, and The University of Windsor Review. His stories have appeared in literary journals such as The Malahat Review, NeWest Review, Wascana Review, Descant, Fiddlehead, and The Antigonish Review.

Hugh Cook’s first book “Cracked Wheat and Other Stories” appeared in 1985. The stories in Cracked Wheat are about rural Canadian life among a community of Dutch immigrants of the Calvinist faith. Consequently, Cook's stories have a deeply moral and religious foundation, even though they never overtly preach to the reader.

Hugh’s second book, a novel titled “The Homecoming Man” came out in 1989. The story explores the relationship between Gerrit Bloem, an elderly widower, and his son Paul, who is a recently divorced professor of modern languages at a university in Vancouver. His third book “Home In Alfalfa” was written in 1998. Hugh's fourth book “Heron River: A Novel” appeared in December 2011. Currently Hugh Cook lives and works in Hamilton, Ontario.

Achievements

• Hugh Cook book “Home In Alfalfa” was awarded first prize in the City of Hamilton Book Awards in the fiction category, and The Word Guild named it co-winner of first prize in the fiction category for books published in 1998. “Home In Alfalfa” has been adapted for stage, and the play had its premiere as the mainstage production in November, 2007 in Redeemer University College’s 2007-2008 season.
  
  The Word Guild named “Heron River” first prize winner in the Contemporary Novel category in 2012.
  
  

Works

More photos

• book

  • Home In Alfalfa

    (Welcome to a year in the life of Alfalfa, a small town li...)

    1998
  • Heron River

    (Heron River explores human error and redemption, tragedy ...)

    2011
  • Cracked Wheat and Other Stories 1985
  • Homecoming Man 1989

Membership

Hugh Cook is a member of Writers' Union of Canada and Word Guild.

Interests

• Winemaking, crossword puzzles

• Sport & Clubs

  Toronto Blue Jays

Connections

Hugh Cook is married to Judy Vanden Eykel. They have three children.

Wife:

Judy Vanden Eykel