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{{short description|Canadian writer}}
{{about|the author|the ophthalmologist specialising in ocular oncology|Carol Shields (ophthalmologist)|the actor|Karl Shiels}}
{{Infobox writer
| name        = Carol Shields
| image       = Carol Shields.jpg
| birth_name  = Carol Ann Warner
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1935|6|2|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Oak Park, Illinois]], US
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2003|7|16|1935|6|2|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], British Columbia, Canada
| occupation  = Author
| nationality = Canadian<br />American
| education   = [[Hanover College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Ottawa]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| period      = 1972–2002
| spouse      = {{marriage|Donald Hugh Shields|1957}}
| children    = 5
}}
'''Carol Ann Shields''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|OM|FRSC}} (née '''Warner'''; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''[[The Stone Diaries]]'', which won the U.S. [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] as well as the [[1993 Governor General's Awards|Governor General's Award]] in Canada.

==Early life and education==

Shields was born Carol Ann Warner in [[Oak Park, Illinois]].<ref name="NYT_Obit" /> She studied at [[Hanover College]], in Indiana,<ref name="NYT_Obit" /> where she received a BA in English in 1957, and became a member of the [[Alpha Delta Pi]] sorority.  A United Nations scholarship encouraged Shields to spend a junior year abroad 1955–1956 at the [[University of Exeter]] in England.  Shields did post-graduate work at the [[University of Ottawa]], where she received an [[Master of Arts|MA]] in 1975.

In 1955, while on British Council sponsored study week in Scotland, she met a Canadian engineering student, Donald Hugh Shields. The couple married in 1957 and moved to Canada, where they had a son and four daughters. Shields later became a Canadian citizen.<ref name="NYT_Obit" />

==Career==
In 1973, Shields became editorial assistant for the journal ''[[Canadian Slavonic Papers]]'' while living in Ottawa 1968–1978. Her first novel, ''Small Ceremonies'', was published in 1976, followed by ''The Box Garden'' in 1977. That year she worked as a sessional lecturer in the English Department at the University of Ottawa.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/18/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries "Carol Shields"]. ''The Guardian'', Alex Clark, 18 Jul 2003</ref> She taught Creative Writing at the [[University of British Columbia]] while living in Vancouver from 1978 to 1980.

Shields' third novel, ''Happenstance'', was published in 1980; that year, she and her husband settled in [[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, Manitoba]], after he was hired to teach in the [[University of Manitoba]]'s Faculty of Engineering. It was here that Shields wrote her better-known books.

From the fall of 1982 onward, Shields taught in the English Department at the University of Manitoba, first as an Assistant Professor (1982–1992), then as an Associate Professor (1992–1995). She published the novel [[Swann: A Mystery|''Swann'']] in 1987, and ''The Republic of Love'' in 1992. ''[[The Stone Diaries]]'' (1993) won the 1995 [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] and the [[1993 Governor General's Awards|1993 Governor General's Award]], the only book to have ever received both awards.<ref>[https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/the-indecently-curious-carol-shields/ "The 'indecently curious' Carol Shields"]. Donna Bailey Nurse, ''Maclean's'', May 1, 2016</ref> It won the U.S. [[National Book Critics Circle Award]] in 1994, and was nominated in 1993 for the [[Booker Prize]].  The Stone Diaries was named one of the best books of the year by ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''. It was also chosen as a "Notable Book" by ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'', which wrote "The Stone Diaries reminds us again why literature matters."

Shields was made Full Professor of English in 1995, and, in 1996, she became chancellor of the [[University of Winnipeg]].

Shields was the author of several short story collections, including ''Various Miracles'' (1985), ''The Orange Fish'' (1989), and ''Dressing Up for the Carnival'' (2000).   She was the recipient of a [[Canada Council]] Major Award, two National Magazine Awards, the 1990 [[Marian Engel Award]], the Canadian Authors Award, and a [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] short story award. She was appointed as an officer of the [[Order of Canada]] in 1998 and was elevated to companion of the Order in 2002. Shields was also a fellow of the [[Royal Society of Canada]] and a member of the [[Order of Manitoba]].

Carol Shields won the 1998 [[Orange Prize for Fiction]] for her 1997 novel ''[[Larry's Party]]''. Her last novel, ''[[Unless]]'' (2002), was nominated for the 2002 [[Giller Prize]], the Governor General of Canada Literary Award, the Booker Prize and the 2003 Orange Prize for Fiction. It was awarded the [[Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize]].
On retirement in 2000, Shields became Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. That year, after Don's retirement, the couple moved to [[Victoria, British Columbia]].

Shields also studied the works of Jane Austen. She wrote the biography entitled ''Jane Austen'', which won the $25,000 Charles Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction in April 2002, an award accepted by her daughter Meg on her behalf in Toronto, on April 22, 2002.

Her last novel, ''Unless'', contains a passionate defence of female writers who write of 'domestic' subjects.

Carol Shields wrote plays including ''Departures and Arrivals'' which has been performed hundreds of times by both amateur and professional theaters. Other celebrated plays include ''Thirteen Hand'' (1993), ''Fashion, Power, Guilt, and the Charity of Families'' (co-authored with daughter Catherine Shields)(1995), and ''Unless'' (with daughter Sara Cassidy) (2005).  Collections of poems by Shields were published in 1972 ''Others'', 1974 ''Intersect'', and 1992 ''Coming to Canada''.

Two collections of essays written by women about what they were not told became best sellers in Canada.  ''Dropped Threads'' (2001) and ''Dropped Threads 2'' (2003) were edited by Shields and her friend and colleague Marjorie Anderson.

==Death and legacy==
Shields died in 2003 of breast cancer at age 68 in Victoria.<ref name="NYT_Obit">{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/18/obituaries/18SHIE.html| title = Carol Shields, Pulitzer-Prize Winning Novelist, Dies at 68| first = Christopher 
| last = Lehmann-Haupt|work=The New York Times| date = July 18, 2003}}</ref><ref>Barbara Ellen, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/apr/28/fiction.carolshields "Human Shields"]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', April 28, 2002.</ref>

Following her death, six of her short stories were adapted by [[Shaftesbury Films]] into the dramatic anthology series ''[[The Shields Stories]]''.  Her earlier short story collections were republished as ''Collected Stories of Carol Shields'' in 2005. Films based on Carol Shields's novels include ''[[Swann (film)|Swann]]'' (1996) and ''[[The Republic of Love]]'' (2003). Her final novel, ''Unless'', was adapted as a play in 2016 by Alan Gilsenan.<ref>Julie Crawford, [https://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/film/family-mystery-at-the-heart-of-carol-shields-final-novel-1.2365205 "Family mystery at the heart of Carol Shields' final novel"]. ''North Shore News'', October 14, 2016.</ref>

Shields' eldest daughter, [[Anne Giardini]], is also a writer. Giardini has contributed to the ''[[National Post]]'' as a columnist, and has published her first novel, ''The Sad Truth About Happiness''. Anne's second novel, ''Advice for Italian Boys'', was published in 2009.<ref>Marsha Lederman, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/daughter-of-carol-shields-reflects-on-her-own-literary-awakening/article22975681/ "Daughter of Carol Shields reflects on her own literary awakening"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', February 13, 2015.</ref> Giardini and her son, Nicholas, edited a book of Shields' thoughts and advice on writing, ''Startle and Illuminate'', published in 2016.<ref>Marsha Lederman, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/collection-of-carol-shieldss-advice-illuminates-the-writing-life/article29916816/ "Collection of Carol Shields's advice illuminates the writing life"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', May 6, 2016.</ref>

Shields' youngest daughter, Sara Cassidy, has published many children's books and young adult novels, including ''Slick'' (2010), ''Windfall'' (2011), A Boy Named Queen (2016), and Nevers (2019), which was nominated for the [[Governor General's Awards|Governor General's Award]] for young people's literature.

In 2020, the [[Carol Shields Prize for Fiction]] was announced as a new literary award to honor writing by Canadian and American women and non-binary authors.<ref>Deborah Dundas, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2020/02/07/new-150000-carol-shields-fiction-prize-will-honour-female-writers.html "New $150,000 Carol Shields fiction prize 'to shine a light on women writers'"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', February 7, 2020.</ref>

In 2022, Shields was posthumously inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame for her contributions as an author.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.carol-shields.com/dates.html | title=Carol Shields, significant dates }}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
*the [[Canadian Authors' Association]] Award for the Best Novel of 1976 (''[[Small Ceremonies]]'')
*the [[Arthur Ellis Award]] for Best Canadian Mystery (''[[Swann: A Mystery]]'')
*the [[Booker Prize]] Shortlist (''[[The Stone Diaries]] ''and ''[[Unless]]'')
*the [[Governor General's Award]] (''[[The Stone Diaries]]'')
*the [[National Book Critics Circle]] Award (''[[The Stone Diaries]]'')
*the [[Pulitzer Prize]] (''[[The Stone Diaries]]'')<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/carol-shields "The 1995 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction"]. Pulitzer Prize website</ref>
*the [[Orange Prize]] (''[[Larry's Party]]'')
*the [[Charles Taylor Prize]] for Literary Non-Fiction (''Jane Austen'')
*nominations for the [[Giller Prize]] (''[[Larry's Party]]'' and ''[[Unless]]'')
* the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref>
* Inductee to the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

==Bibliography==

===Novels===
*''[[Small Ceremonies]]'', 1976 (winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award)
*''The Box Garden'', 1977 (Later published in a joint edition with ''Small Ceremonies'' as ''Duet'')
*''Happenstance'', 1980
*''A Fairly Conventional Woman'', 1982  (Later published as a joint edition with ''Happenstance'' as ''Happenstance'')
*''[[Swann: A Mystery]]'', 1987 (UK title: ''Mary Swann''), (Arthur Ellis Award for Best Canadian Mystery, 1988)
*''A Celibate Season'', 1991 (with [[Blanche Howard]])
*''[[The Republic of Love]]'', 1992
*''[[The Stone Diaries]]'', 1993 (winner of the [[Governor General's Award]], [[National Book Critics Circle Award]], and the [[Pulitzer Prize]]; shortlisted for the [[Booker Prize]])
*''[[Larry's Party]]'', 1997 (winner of the [[Orange Prize]], and Le Grand Prix du livre de Montréal)
*''[[Unless]]'', 2002 (winner of the [[Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize]], shortlisted in 2002 [[Man Booker Prize]] and [[Giller Prize]], and shortlisted in 2003 for the [[Orange Prize]])

=== Graphic novels ===

* ''Susanna Moodie: Roughing it in the Bush,'' 2016 (with Patrick Crowe and art by Selena Goulding)

===Short stories===
*''Various Miracles'', 1985
*''The Orange Fish'', 1989
*''[[Dressing Up for the Carnival]]'', 2000
*''Collected Stories'', 2004.

===Poetry===
*''Others'', Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1972.
*''Intersect'', Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1974.
*''Coming to Canada'', Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1992.

===Plays===
*''Departures and Arrivals'', 1990
*''Thirteen Hands'', 1993
*''Fashion Power Guilt and the Charity of Families'', 1995 (with Catherine Shields)
*''Anniversary: A Comedy'', 1998 (with Dave Williamson)
*''Women Waiting'', 1983
*''[[Unless]]'', 2005
*''Larry's Party - the Musical'', 2000 (adapted by Richard Ouzounian with music by Marek Norman)
*''Thirteen Hands and Other Plays.'' Toronto: Vintage, 2002.

===Criticism===
*''Susanna Moodie: Voice and Vision'', 1976

===Biography===
*''Jane Austen''. New York: Viking, 2001.

===Anthologies===
*''Dropped Threads: What We aren't Told''. Toronto: Vintage, 2001. (edited with Marjorie Anderson)
*''Dropped Threads 2: More of What We aren't Told''. Toronto: Vintage, 2003. (edited with Marjorie Anderson)

===Movies===
*[[Swann (film)|''Swann'']] 1996
*''[[The Republic of Love]]'' 2003

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[http://www.carol-shields.com/ The Carol Shields Literary Trust]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070502233852/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/writers/027005-3000-e.html "Carol Shields" in ''Canadian Writers'': an examination of archival manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, journals and notebooks at Library and Archives Canada]
*[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/carol-shields/ Carol Shields's] entry in [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]
*[http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/shields_carol/ CBC Obituary]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/apr/28/fiction.carolshields Observer Interview with Carol Shields]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050409205519/http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/mapindex/s_profiles/shields_c.html Profile in the Manitoba Author Publication Index]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140517055301/http://carolshieldslabyrinth.com/ The Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth]
*The archives of Carol Shields [http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=3672718&lang=eng (Carol Shields fonds, R11805)] are held at [[Library and Archives Canada]]

{{Marian Engel Award}}
{{Pulitzer Prize for Fiction}}
{{Women's Prize for Fiction}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Carol}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American poets]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Exeter]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:American women short story writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian biographers]]
[[Category:Canadian women poets]]
[[Category:Canadian women short story writers]]
[[Category:Canadian socialists]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Deaths from breast cancer in Canada]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada]]
[[Category:Governor General's Award–winning fiction writers]]
[[Category:Hanover College alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba]]
[[Category:Writers from Oak Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:Writers from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Manitoba]]
[[Category:University of Ottawa alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian poets]]
[[Category:American women poets]]
[[Category:American women biographers]]
[[Category:Canadian women biographers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian women novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American poets]]
[[Category:20th-century American biographers]]
[[Category:21st-century American biographers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian short story writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American short story writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American short story writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Illinois]]
[[Category:20th-century American essayists]]
[[Category:21st-century American essayists]]
[[Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Historians from Illinois]]
[[Category:21st-century American women novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women]]
[[Category:National Book Critics Circle Award winners]]
[[Category:Manitoba Book Awards winners]]
[[Category:Poets from Manitoba]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the University of Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Women's Prize for Fiction winners]]