Linda Svendsen

Background

She was born in Vancouver and has lived there for most of her life.

Career

Her stories were anthologized and published in magazines such as Atlantic Monthly and Saturday Night. In 1992, she published a book called Marine Life, which was also translated into German which was a finalist for the 1993 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In 2000, Marine Life was adapted into a film starring Cybill Shepherd and Peter Outerbridge.

Svendsen wrote the television film adaptation of The Diviners, as well as the miniseries Human Cargo and the television film At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story.

She also teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia.

Achievements

• She won first prize in the American Short Story Contest in 1980, and was a three-time finalist for the O. Henry Awards. She won a Gemini Award for the Human Cargo screenplay.