Canadian children's writer
William Edwin Bell (27 October 1945 – 30 July 2016)[1] was a Canadian author of young adult fiction, born in Toronto, Ontario. He lived in Orillia, Ontario.[2]
Personal life and education
Bell was born in Toronto on 27 October 1945 to William B. and Irene (nee Spowart) Bell.[3] He attended New Toronto Secondary School, which inspired his novel Crabbe.[citation needed] In 1969, he received a Master of Arts in literature from the University of Toronto, and in 1984, he received a Master of Education in education curriculum and administration from the university's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.[1]
He married Susan Arnup[citation needed] and had three children: Dylan, Megan and Brendan.[1] Before his death, he lived with his wife, Chinese-Canadian author Ting-Xing Ye. He died in Orillia on 30 July 2016 at the age of 70.[4]
Career
Teaching
Bell taught in a variety of settings. He was a high school teacher at several schools in Simcoe County and the head of the English department at Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute.[citation needed] In the early 1980s, he taught English in China at the Harbin University of Science and Technology and the Foreign Affairs College.[1] He also worked at the University of British Columbia and the Simcoe County Board of Education.[citation needed] He was frequently invited to give presentations at conferences and to speak to elementary and secondary school students on creative writing.[citation needed]
Writing
The inspiration to become a writer came to Bell when he heard a speech by John Metcalf, author of one of his favourite short stories.[citation needed] Bell said he likes to write for young people because they are "the best audience: they are loyal to the writers they like and they are enthusiastic readers".[5]
Bell wrote many books, including three set near his home in Orillia, Ontario (Five Days of the Ghost, Stones and Fanatics), two in Barrie (Death Wind, The Cripples' Club), one in Toronto (Julian) and one in Fergus (Zack).
Bell's work has been widely published outside of Canada. His books have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Japanese.[citation needed]
