Terrence Frederick "Terry" (T. F.) Rigelhof (born April 24, 1944)[1] is a Canadian writer and academic.[2] He is best known for A Blue Boy in a Black Dress, his memoir of his time studying at a Roman Catholic seminary school prior to abandoning the priesthood;[3] the book was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 1996 Governor General's Awards,[4] and won the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction at the Quebec Writers' Federation Awards.[5]

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan,[2] Rigelhof joined the seminary in the 1960s.[3] He left those studies after a crisis of faith which left him suicidal,[3] but retained an academic interest in the history and sociology of religion, becoming a longtime instructor at Montreal's Dawson College.[6] He published the novel The Education of J.J. Pass (1983) and the short story collection Je t'aime, Cowboy (1993) prior to writing A Blue Boy in a Black Dress; he published one further novel, Badass on a Softail, in 1997 before concentrating on non-fiction writing thereafter.[7] In addition to his books, he was a regular literary critic for The Globe and Mail and other publications.

His later non-fiction works included the Canadian literature studies This Is Our Writing (2000) and Hooked on Canadian Books: The Good, the Better, and the Best Canadian Novels Since 1984 (2010);[7] the George Grant biography George Grant: Redefining Canada (2001);[8] and a second memoir, Nothing Sacred: A Journey Beyond Belief (2004).[2]

References

  1. "Rigelhof, Terrence Frederick (1944-)". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina.
  2. 1 2 3 "Terry Rigelhof changes outlook on life". Guelph Mercury, June 12, 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 "Memoir takes provocative look at religion". Montreal Gazette, January 6, 1996.
  4. "Local authors top list: Governor-General's Literary Awards nominees announced". Montreal Gazette, October 18, 1996.
  5. "QSPELL honours anglophone writers: Literary award adopts new voting system where judges make choices independently". The Globe and Mail, November 23, 1996.
  6. "A Blue Boy in a Black Dress: A Memoir". The Globe and Mail, December 30, 1995.
  7. 1 2 "A home for Canlit". Montreal Gazette, April 3, 2010.
  8. "Lives of the intellectual saints". The Globe and Mail, January 12, 2002.
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