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Extraordinary Canadians Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Part of Extraordinary Canadians

Author Nino Ricci

Ebook (EPUB)

Penguin Canada

On sale Mar 31, 2009 | 240 Pages | 9780143175230

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Love him or hate him, Pierre Trudeau has marked us all. The man whose motto was "reason over passion" managed to arouse in Canadians the fiercest of passions of every hue, ones that even today cloud our view of him and of his place in history. Acclaimed novelist Nino Ricci takes as his starting point the crucial role Trudeau played in the formation of his own sense of identity to look at how Trudeau expanded us as a people, not in spite of his contradictions but because of them.

“Nino Ricci, who, with a novelist's flair for the theatrical, has reanimated Trudeau in his entry in Penguin Canada's compact biographies of extraordinary Canadians…. Absorbing and thoughtful evaluations…. Compelling.” - The Globe and Mail

“The narrative is thoroughly researched. While Ricci presents few stories, details, or theories about Trudeau’s legacy that haven’t been told elsewhere, he provides a surprisingly comprehensive biography in perhaps the shortest number of pages ever devoted to a Trudeau book. Ricci’s signature style is evident, and his own insights peppered throughout the text are enjoyable. Personal, human, and generous.” - Canada’s History magazine

“The authors [of the Extraordinary Canadians series] are well chosen; Nino Ricci … does terrific justice to Pierre Trudeau.” - Calgary Herald

“A balanced and subtle account of [a] complex and very private man…. Even if you have read Stephen Clarkson and Christina McCall or John English’s superb Trudeau biographies, far more substantial and detailed, you will want to read this elegant little book. It provides the best, and best written, perspective on the man there is.” - Guelph Mercury

“Charming and readable…. Ricci does an excellent job explaining the sources of the Trudeau myth and, in doing so, makes Trudeau the man more human.” - The Canadian Encyclopedia Blog

NINO RICCI's first novel, Lives of the Saints, won the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the F.G. Bressani Prize and was made into a motion picture starring Sophia Loren. The novel was also a long-time national bestseller, and was followed by the highly acclaimed In a Glass House and Where She Has Gone, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. His bestselling novel Testament won the Trillium Book Award. His most recent novel The Origin of Species received the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction. In total, his novels have appeared on 9 Best Book lists, including The New York Times and England’s Times Literary Supplement.

Nino Ricci has also won the Betty Trask Award for Fiction (UK), The Winnifred Holtby Prize (UK) and the 1992 Prise Contrepoint Madrineaux (France). Nino Ricci was recently named the L.G. Pathy '56 Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies at Princeton University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Windsor as well the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He has been recognized with the Order of Canada for his contributions to literature as a renowned author. He lives in Toronto. View titles by Nino Ricci