View source for John Ralston Saul

{{short description|Canadian writer and political philosopher}}
{{similar names|John Ralston (disambiguation)|John Saul (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = John Ralston Saul
| honorific-suffix   = {{Post-nominals|size=100%|country=CAN|CC|OOnt}}
| image              = John Ralston Saul in 2006 (cropped).jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Saul delivering a lecture at the [[University of Alberta]] in 2006
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1947|6|19|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| occupation         = {{hlist | Writer | political philosopher}}
| alma_mater         = {{ubl | [[McGill University]] | [[King's College, London]]}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Adrienne Clarkson]]|1999}}
| module             = {{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office              = President of <br />[[PEN International]]
| termstart           = October 2009
| termend             = October 2015
| predecessor         = [[Jiří Gruša]]
| successor           = [[Jennifer Clement]]
|office2 = 53rd [[Viceregal consort of Canada]]
|governor_general2 = [[Adrienne Clarkson]]
|termstart2 = {{Circa|1999}} 
|termend2 = September 27, 2005
|predecessor2 = [[Diana Fowler LeBlanc]]
|successor2 = [[Jean-Daniel Lafond]]
| name                = 
}}
}}

'''John Ralston Saul''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|OOnt}} (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian writer, [[political philosopher]], and public intellectual. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of [[individualism]], [[citizenship]] and the [[Public good (economics)|public good]]; the failures of manager-led societies;<ref>Or, more precisely, [[Technocracy (bureaucratic)|technocrat]]-led.</ref> the confusion between [[leadership]] and [[managerialism]]; [[military strategy]], in particular [[irregular warfare]]; the role of [[freedom of speech]] and culture; and critiques of the prevailing economic [[paradigm]]. He is a champion of freedom of expression and was the International President of [[PEN International]], an association of writers. Saul is the co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a national charity promoting the inclusion of new citizens. He is also the co-founder and co-chair of 6 Degrees,<ref>{{cite web |title=6 Degrees |url=https://www.6degreesto.com/ |website=6 Degrees |access-date=1 November 2019 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312070310/http://6degreesto.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> the global forum for inclusion. Saul is also the husband to the former governor general [[Adrienne Clarkson]], making him the [[Viceregal consort of Canada]] during most of her service (1999–2005).

His work is known for being thought-provoking and ahead of its time, leading him to be called a "prophet" by  ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.speakers.ca/speakers/john-ralston-saul/ |title = John Ralston Saul |website = Speakers' Spotlight |access-date = August 2, 2018 |archive-date = October 13, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211013222032/http://www.speakers.ca/speakers/john-ralston-saul/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> and to be included in ''[[Utne Reader]]'''s list of the world's leading thinkers and visionaries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://writerstrust.com/Awards/Shaughnessy-Cohen-Prize-for-Political-Writing/2014-Finalists/John-Ralston-Saul.aspx |title=2014 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing Finalist |website=The Writers' Trust of Canada |access-date=August 2, 2018}}</ref> His works have been translated into 25 languages in 36 countries.<ref name="uwin" />

== Early life and education ==
Saul is the son of William Saul, an army officer, and a British mother whose family had a long tradition of military service.<ref name="walrus">{{Cite web|url=http://thewalrus.ca/citizen-saul/ |website= The Walrus |date=April 12, 2010 |title=Citizen Saul |author=Henighan, Stephen |access-date=August 2, 2018}}</ref> He was born in Ottawa, but raised in Alberta and Manitoba before graduating from [[Oakville Trafalgar High School]] in [[Oakville, Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-04-12|title=Citizen Saul {{!}} The Walrus|url=https://thewalrus.ca/citizen-saul/|access-date=2021-12-30|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=D'Souza|first=Claudia|date=December 12, 1999|title=When the Governor General Calls|page=9|work=The Oakville Beaver|url=https://news.oakville.halinet.on.ca/110341/page/10?n=|access-date=2021-12-30}}</ref> At a young age, he became fluent in both national languages, French and English. By the time he started university at [[McGill University]], Montreal, his father was in Paris and Brussels, working as a military adviser to the Canadian ambassador to NATO.

== Career ==
After completing his undergraduate degree, Saul was accepted into the foreign service, but the death of his father in 1968 changed Saul's career plans. He left the foreign service to attend [[King's College London]], where he wrote his thesis on the modernization of France under [[Charles de Gaulle]], and earned his [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in 1972. His doctoral thesis, ''The Evolution of Civil–Military Relations in France after the Algerian War'',{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} led him to France for research. There he began to write his first novel, ''Mort d'un général'', a romanticized version of his thesis on de Gaulle's chief of staff. He supported himself by running the French subsidiary of a British investment company.

After helping to set up the national oil company [[Petro-Canada]] in 1976, as assistant to its first chair, [[Maurice F. Strong]], Saul published his first novel, ''The Birds of Prey'', in 1977. Strong described Saul as "an invaluable, though unconventional, member of my personal staff."<ref name="walrus" />

Through the late 1970s into the 1980s, Saul travelled extensively and regularly spent time with guerrilla armies, spending a great deal of time in North Africa and South East Asia. Out of this time came his novels, ''The Field Trilogy''. It was during those extended periods in Northwest Africa and Southeast Asia where he witnessed fellow writers there suffering government suppression of freedom of expression, which caused him to become interested in the work of [[PEN International]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/ralston-saul-to-focus-on-indigenous-languages-at-pen-1.861979|title=Ralston Saul to focus on indigenous languages at PEN|date=October 23, 2009|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=March 27, 2013}}</ref> Between the years of 1990 and 1992, Saul acted as the president of the Canadian centre of PEN International. In 2009, he was elected president of PEN and re-elected for a second and last term in 2012, remaining International President until October 2015.

Saul is co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, which encourages new Canadians to become active citizens. He is patron and former president of the Canadian Centre of [[PEN International]] and of the [[Canadian Academy of Independent Scholars]]. He is also founder and honorary chair of French for the Future, which encourages bilingual French-English education, chair of the advisory board for the [[LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium]] lecture series, and a patron of Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network. From 1999 until 2006, his wife [[Adrienne Clarkson]] was [[Governor General of Canada]], making him Canada's [[viceregal consort of Canada|viceregal consort]]. During this period he devoted much of his time to issues of freedom of expression, poverty, public education and bilingualism.

=== PEN International ===
Saul was elected as the international president of [[PEN International]] for a three-year term at its Annual Congress in Linz, Austria in October 2009.  He was the first Canadian to be elected to that position, which had previously been held by [[John Galsworthy]], [[Arthur Miller]], [[Heinrich Böll]], [[Mario Vargas Llosa]] and Homero Aridjis.<ref name="walrus" /> He campaigned on the need to pay attention to smaller and endangered languages and cultures, arguing that the ultimate removal of freedom of expression was the loss of a language. He put a specific emphasis on endangered indigenous languages. He called for a further decentralization of PEN, which has 144 centres in 102 countries. He argues that literature and freedom of expression are the same thing; that you cannot have one without the other. Saul has testified before the European Parliament Human Rights Commission on the loss of freedom of expression in Tunisia, has spoken before European Council on Refugees in Exile, and has published an essay on writers in exile, which has been translated into several languages.

=== The Institute for Canadian Citizenship ===
Saul founded, and currently co-chairs, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) with [[Adrienne Clarkson]]. The ICC is a national, non-profit charity that helps accelerate new citizens' integration into Canadian life through original programs, collaborations and unique volunteer opportunities. While its focus is on encouraging new citizens to take their rightful place in Canada, the ICC aims to encourage all citizens – new or not – to embrace active citizenship in their daily life.

=== Speaking ===
In addition to his selection as the 1995 Massey lecturer, Saul has delivered other notable lectures. He gave the Harold Innis Lecture in 1994. In 2000 he gave the inaugural [[LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium]]
Lecture. Saul delivered the J.D. Young Memorial Lecture "A New Era of Irregular Warfare?" at the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]] on February 4, 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=His Excellency John Ralston Saul J.D. Young Memorial Lecture 'A New Era of Irregular Warfare?' |url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4295 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090226001034/http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4295 |archive-date=2009-02-26 |publisher=Governor General of Canada}}</ref> He gave the 2005 IDEAS lecture in Brisbane, Australia, the 2007 Captive Mind Lecture in Kraków, Poland, and in 2008 gave the 33rd Sir Winston Scott Memorial Lecture in Barbados. He also delivered the 2009 [[McGill Law Journal#The McGill Law Journal's Annual English Lecture|McGill Law Journal's Annual Lecture]] at the McGill Faculty of Law in Montreal on February 3, 2009.<ref>[http://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/news.php The McGill Law Journal Annual Lecture] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226002941/http://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/news.php|date=December 26, 2008}}</ref> Saul also spoke at the [[Sydney Opera House]] on August 26, 2012, on the subject "It's Broke: How do we fix it?"<ref>{{cite web |last=Saul |first=John Ralston |title=Slaves to Money and Growth: when did saving a bank become more important than saving a country? |url=http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/slaves-to-money-and-growth-20120817-24dxs.html |access-date=August 18, 2012 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>

=== Fiction writing ===
{{BLP sources section|date=February 2022}}
''The Birds of Prey'' (1977) is a political novel based in [[Gaullist]] France. Between 1983 and 1988 Saul then published ''The Field Trilogy'', which deals with the crisis of modern power and its clash with the individual. It includes ''[[Baraka (novel)|Baraka, or The Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor of Anthony Smith]]'' (1983), ''The Next Best Thing'' (1986), and ''The Paradise Eater'' (1988), which won the ''Premio Letterario Internazionale'' in Italy.

''De si bons Américains'' (1994) is a [[picaresque novel]] in which he observes the lives of America's ''nouveaux riches''. A vastly reworked and expanded version was published in 2012 as ''Dark Diversions'', Saul's first novel in over fifteen years.

==== Other fiction writing ====

*''[[Baraka (novel)|Baraka]]'' (1983)
*''The Next Best Thing'' (1986)
*''The Paradise Eater'' (1988)
*''Dark Diversions'' (2012)

=== Non-fiction writing ===

==== ''Voltaire's Bastards'', ''The Doubter's Companion'' and ''The Unconscious Civilization'' ====
Saul's non-fiction began with the trilogy comprising the bestseller ''Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West'' (1992), the polemic philosophical dictionary ''The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense'' (1994), and the book that grew out of his 1995 [[Massey Lectures]], ''The Unconscious Civilization'' (1995). The last won the [[1996 Governor General's Award]] for Non-Fiction Literature.

These books deal with themes such as the dictatorship of [[reason]] unbalanced by other human qualities, how it can be used for any ends especially in a directionless state that rewards the pursuit of power for power's sake. He argues that this leads to deformations of thought such as [[ideology]] promoted as [[truth]]; the rational but anti-democratic structures of [[corporatism]], by which he means the worship of small groups; and the use of language and [[expert]]ise to mask a practical understanding of the harm caused by this, and what else our society might do. He argues that the rise of individualism with no regard for the role of society has not created greater individual autonomy and self-determination, as was once hoped, but isolation and alienation. He calls for a pursuit of a more [[humanism|humanist]] ideal in which reason is balanced with other human mental capacities such as [[common sense]], [[ethics]], [[Intuition (knowledge)|intuition]], creativity, and memory, for the sake of the common good, and he discusses the importance of unfettered language and practical democracy. These attributes are elaborated upon in his 2001 book ''On Equilibrium''.

==== ''Reflections of a Siamese Twin'' ====
He expanded on these themes as they relate to Canada and [[History of Canada|its history]] and [[Culture of Canada|culture]] in ''Reflections of a Siamese Twin'' (1998). In this book, he proposed the idea of Canada being a "soft" country, meaning not that the nation is weak, but that it has a flexible and complex identity, as opposed to the unyielding or monolithic identities of other states.

He argues that Canada's complex national identity is made up of the "triangular reality" of the three nations that compose it: [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|First Peoples]], [[francophone]]s, and [[English language|anglophones]]. He emphasizes the willingness of these Canadian nations to compromise with one another, as opposed to resorting to open confrontations. In the same vein, he criticizes both those in the [[Quebec separatism|Quebec separatist]] Montreal School for emphasizing the conflicts in Canadian history and the [[Orange Order in Canada|Orange Order]] and the [[Clear Grits]] traditionally seeking clear definitions of Canadian-ness and loyalty.

==== ''On Equilibrium'' ====
Saul's next book, ''On Equilibrium'' (2001), is effectively a fourth, concluding volume to his philosophical quartet. He identifies six qualities as common to all people: common sense, ethics, imagination, intuition, memory, and reason. He describes how these inner forces can be used to balance each other, and what happens when they are unbalanced, for example in the case of a "Dictatorship of Reason".

==== ''The Collapse of Globalism'' ====
In an article written for ''[[Harper's]]'' magazine's March 2004 issue, titled ''The Collapse of Globalism and the Rebirth of Nationalism'', he argued that the [[globalist ideology]] was under attack by counter-movements. Saul rethought and developed this argument in ''The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World'' (2005). Far from being an inevitable force, Saul argued that [[globalization]] is already breaking down in the face of widespread public opposition and that the world was seeing a rise in [[nationalism]]. Following the [[Great Recession]] he had predicted, ''The Collapse of Globalism'' was re-issued in 2009 with a new epilogue that addressed the [[economic crisis]].

==== ''A Fair Country'' ====
''A Fair Country'' (2008) is Saul's second major work on Canada. It is organized into four subsections.
;"A Métis Civilization": This section picks up on the argument that Saul makes in ''Reflections of a Siamese Twin'' about the 'triangular reality of Canada'. Drawing on the work of scholars like [[Harold Innis]] and Gerald Friesen,<ref>Friesen, Gerald. ''Citizens and Nation: An Essay on History, Communication, and Canada''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000.</ref> Saul argues that contemporary Canada has been deeply influenced and shaped by Aboriginal ideas and the experience of both Francophone and Anglophone immigrants over the 250 years, from 1600 on, during which Aboriginals were either the dominant force in Canada, or equal partners. He argues that Aboriginals are making a rapid "comeback", and that their fundamental influence needs to be recognized in order for non-Aboriginal Canadians to understand themselves.

;"Peace, Fairness, and Good Government": In this section Saul argues that instead of the phrase "[[peace, order, and good government]]", which appears in and has become a touchstone of the 1867 [[Canadian Constitution]], the phrase that dominated previous Canadian documents was "peace, ''welfare'', and good government". Saul suggests that the ensuing emphasis on "order" has not truly represented Canadian origins.

;"The Castrati": This sections echoes Saul's more general critiques of [[technocracy|technocratic]] and [[bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] regimes. He also suggests that while current Canadian elites reflect a "disturbing mediocrity" this was not always the case.<ref>Saul, John Ralston. ''A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada''. Toronto: Viking, 2008, p. 174</ref>

;"An Intentional Civilization": Saul uses the final section of the book to argue for a return to an understanding of Canada as a unique response to particular historical circumstances.

==== ''Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin'' ====
Saul's contribution to [[Penguin Books|Penguin Canada's]] ''Extraordinary Canadians'' series, of which he serves as general editor, is a double biography of [[Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine]] and [[Robert Baldwin]]. In it, he argues that Canada did not begin in [[Canadian Confederation|1867]], but that in fact its foundations were laid by LaFontaine and Baldwin much earlier. The two leaders of [[Lower Canada|Lower]] and [[Upper Canada]], respectively, worked together after the [[Act of Union 1840|1841 Union]] to lead a reformist movement for [[responsible government]] run by elected citizens instead of a colonial governor. But it was during the "Great Ministry" of 1848–51 that the two politicians implemented laws that Saul argues created a more equitable country. They revamped judicial institutions, created a public education system, made bilingualism official, designed a network of public roads, began a public postal system, and reformed municipal governance. Faced with opposition, and even violence, Saul contends that the two men united behind a set of principles and programs that formed modern Canada.

==== ''The Comeback'' ====
His most recent work, ''The Comeback: How Aboriginals Are Reclaiming Power and Influence'' (2014) was a shortlisted nominee for the 2015 [[Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/shaughnessy-cohen-prize-finalists-announced/article22648737/ |title=Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists announced |author=Medley, Mark |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date= January 27, 2015}}</ref> The "comeback" that Saul identifies in this new book emphasizes the strides that Aboriginal people have made in reversing years of population decline and "cultural oppression". As recently as seventy years ago it was widely assumed that Indians were disappearing, the victims of disease, starvation and their own ineptitude for modern civilization. Canada's Aboriginal population is growing in numbers and its cultural and political self-confidence seems boundless. In Saul's view, this observation, while obvious to anyone who studies the history, nonetheless needs hammering home. We are far more used to hearing about the dismal lives of Aboriginal people—their family dysfunction, their crime rates, their impoverished communities—than we are to being told they are a success story. Today's Aboriginal population, for all the problems that afflict it, has overcome incredible disadvantages to achieve what Saul calls "a position of power, influence and civilizational creativity" in Canadian society.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geist.com/fact/columns/time-for-a-rewrite/|title=Time for a Rewrite|author=Francis, Daniel |website=Geist |date=November 19, 2015|access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref>

==== Other non-fiction writing ====

*''Le Citoyen dans un cul-de-sac?: Anatomie d'une société en crise'' (1996)
*''On Equilibrium: Six Qualities of the New Humanism'' (2001)
*''The John W. Holmes Memorial Lecture'' (2004)
*''Joseph Howe and the Battle for Freedom of Speech'' (2006)
*''Le Grand Retour'' (2015) – French edition of ''The Comeback'', translated by [[Daniel Poliquin]]

== Honours ==
Saul was made a [[Order of Canada|Companion of the Order of Canada]] (CC) in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=General |first=Office of the Secretary to the Governor |title=Mr. John Ralston Saul |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-4041 |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=The Governor General of Canada}}</ref> He is also a [[Knight|chevalier]] of the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] of France (1996).<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Ralston Saul {{!}} Awards and Distinctions {{!}} The University of Winnipeg |url=https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/awards-distinctions/honorary-doctorate/ralston-saul.html |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=www.uwinnipeg.ca}}</ref> His 21 honorary degrees range from [[McGill University]] and the [[University of Ottawa]] to [[Herzen University]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia. On October 16, 2019, he received his latest honorary degree from [[King's College London]].<ref name="uwin">{{cite web |url=https://pen-international.org/news/former-pen-president-john-ralston-saul-speaks-at-kcl |title=John Ralston Saul |date=October 17, 2019 |publisher=PEN International |access-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127044340/https://pen-international.org/news/former-pen-president-john-ralston-saul-speaks-at-kcl |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=King's celebrates its new honorary graduates|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/kings-celebrates-its-new-honorary-graduates|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.kcl.ac.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref>

<br /><div class="center">
'''Ribbon bars of John Ralston Saul'''<br />
[[File:Order of Canada (CC) ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|100px]]
[[File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
<br />
[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
[[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
[[File:Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevalier ribbon.svg|100px]]
</div>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+Commonwealth honours
! style="width:20%;"| Country
! style="width:20%;"| Date
! style="width:55%;"| Appointment
! style="width:5%;"| Post-nominal letters
|-
| {{Flagu|Canada}} || '''28 September 1999''' || [[Order of Canada|Companion of the Order of Canada]] || CC<ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul's Order of Canada Citation |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-4041 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Canada}} || '''1999''' || [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Knight of Justice of the Order of St John]] || <ref>file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/Role-of-the-Order-2018-Repetoire-de-lOrdre.pdf</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Canada}} || '''2014''' || [[Order of Ontario]] || OOnt<ref>{{cite web |title=The Order of Ontario |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario#section-6 |website=The Government of Ontario |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Canada}} || '''6 February 2002''' || [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] (Canadian Version) ||  <ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/125-40831 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Canada}} || '''6 February 2012''' || [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] (Canadian Version) ||  <ref>{{cite news |title=John Ralston Saul Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/126-104561 |website=Governor General of Canada |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|}
{{Incomplete list|date=September 2020}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+Foreign honours
! style="width:20%;"| Country
! style="width:20%;"| Date
! style="width:55%;"| Decoration
! style="width:5%;"| Post-nominal letters
|-
| {{Flagu|France}} || '''1996''' || [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] ||
|-
|{{flag|Germany}}
|'''2021'''
|[[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany|Officer's Cross, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
|
|}
{{Incomplete list|date=September 2020}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+Scholastic achievements
! style="width:20%;"| Location
! style="width:20%;"| Date
! style="width:40%;"| School
! style="width:20%;"| Degree
|-
| {{Flagu|Quebec}} || '''1969'''  || [[McGill University]] || [[Bachelor of Arts]] (BA) in [[Political Science]] and [[History]]
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} || '''1972''' || [[King's College London]] || [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (PhD)
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships
! style="width:20%;"| Location
! style="width:20%;"| Date
! style="width:40%;"| School
! style="width:20%;"| Position
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''2015{{spaced ndash}}2019''' || [[Toronto Metropolitan University|Ryerson University]] || Distinguished Visiting Professor (Faculty of Arts)
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} ||  || [[King's College London]] || Visiting Professor<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Ralston Saul [visiting faculty]|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/john-ralston-saul|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.kcl.ac.uk}}</ref>
|}
{{Incomplete list|date=September 2020}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+Honorary degrees
! style="width:20%;"| Location
! style="width:20%;"| Date
! style="width:40%;"| School
! style="width:20%;"| Degree
! style="width:20%;"| Gave Commencement Address
|-
| {{Flagu|Quebec}} || '''10 June 1997''' || [[McGill University]] || [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.)<ref>{{cite web |title=McGill Honorary Degree Recipients 1935-October 2019 |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/senate/files/senate/list_of_mcgill_honorary_degree_recipients_from_1935_to_october_2019.pdf |website=McGill University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122231808/https://www.mcgill.ca/senate/files/senate/list_of_mcgill_honorary_degree_recipients_from_1935_to_october_2019.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> || Yes
|-
| {{Flagu|British Columbia}} || '''5 October 2000''' || [[Simon Fraser University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Degree Recipients to 2020 |url=https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/convocation/hdr/HDrecipients_2020.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816094651/https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/convocation/hdr/HDrecipients_2020.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-16 |url-status=live |website=Simon Fraser University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Past Honorary Degree Recipients |url=https://www.sfu.ca/convocation/honorary-degrees/past_honorary_degrees.html |website=Simon Fraser University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> || Yes<ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul's Honorary Degree Citation  |url=https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/convocation/hdr/honorary-degrees/John_Ralston_Saul_Citation.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013225126/https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/convocation/hdr/honorary-degrees/John_Ralston_Saul_Citation.pdf |archive-date=2021-10-13 |url-status=live |website=Simon Fraser University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Manitoba}} || '''24 October 2002''' || [[University of Manitoba]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Degree Recipients |url=https://umanitoba.ca/governance/honours/honorary-degrees#1990-2009 |website=University of Manitoba |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116070219/http://umanitoba.ca/governance/honours/honorary-degrees#1990-2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''30 May 2003''' || [[Laurentian University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=His Excellency John Ralston Saul Honorary Degree Laurentian University|url=https://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4544|access-date=2020-10-27|website=archive.gg.ca}}</ref>|| Yes
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''2003''' || [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen's University Honorary Degrees |url=https://www.queensu.ca/registrar/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.uregwww/files/files/HDrecipients.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329093356/http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.uregwww/files/files/HDrecipients.pdf |archive-date=2015-03-29 |url-status=live |website=Queen's University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> ||
|-
| {{Flagu|New Brunswick}} || '''2003''' || [[Mount Allison University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mount Allison University {{!}} Honorary degree recipients 21st century|url=https://www.mta.ca/Community/Governance_and_admin/Governance/Board_of_Regents/Board_committees/Honorary_degrees/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.mta.ca|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609232358/https://www.mta.ca/Community/Governance_and_admin/Governance/Board_of_Regents/Board_committees/Honorary_degrees/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/|url-status=dead}}</ref>||
|-
| {{Flagu|Russian Federation}} || '''29 September 2003''' || [[Herzen University]] || Doctorate<ref>{{Cite web|title=His Excellency John Ralston Saul Address Made Upon the Conferral of an Honorary Degree (Honoris Causa) Herzen State Pedagogical University|url=https://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4030|access-date=2020-10-27|website=archive.gg.ca}}</ref>|| Yes
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''31 October 2004''' || [[University of Ottawa]] || [[Doctor of the University]] (D.Univ.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Speech – D. University 2004 John RALSTON SAUL, 2004 {{!}} About uOttawa {{!}} University of Ottawa|url=https://www.uottawa.ca/about/bio/speech-d-university-2004-john-ralston-saul-2004|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.uottawa.ca}}</ref>|| Yes
|-
| {{Flagu|Newfoundland and Labrador}} || '''May 2011''' || [[Memorial University of Newfoundland]] || [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.)<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Graduates of Memorial University of Newfoundland 1960-Present |url=https://www.mun.ca/senate/honorary/honorary-degrees-by-convo.pdf |website=Memorial University of Newfoundland |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> ||
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''2011''' || [[Nipissing University]] || [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honorary Degree Recipients|url=https://www.nipissingu.ca/about/convocation/honorary-degree-recipients|access-date=2020-10-27|website=Nipissing University|language=en}}</ref>||
|-
| {{Flagu|Manitoba}} || '''17 October 2014''' || [[University of Winnipeg]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)<ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul Honorary Doctorate |url=https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/awards-distinctions/honorary-doctorate/ralston-saul.html |website=University of Winnipeg |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>|| Yes<ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul Convocation Address |url=https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/convocation/docs/2014-autumn-ralston-saul.pdf |website=University of Winnipeg |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Nova Scotia}} || '''Spring 2018''' || [[Dalhousie University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D.)<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Honorary Degree Recipients |url=https://www.dal.ca/academics/convocation/spring_grads/history_traditions/honorary_degree_recipients/hon_degree_2018.html |website=Dalhousie University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=John Ralston Saul |url=https://www.dal.ca/academics/convocation/spring_grads/history_traditions/honorary_degree_recipients/hon_degree_2018/john_ralston_saul.html |website=Dalhousie University |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> ||
|-
| {{Flagu|England}} || '''16 October 2019''' || [[King's College London]] || [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.)<ref>{{cite web |title=King's celebrates its new honorary graduates |url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/kings-celebrates-its-new-honorary-graduates |website=King's College London |access-date=16 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> || Yes
|-
|{{Flagu|Ontario}}
|'''9 June 2023'''
|[[Ontario Tech University]]
|Doctor of Laws<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr. John Ralston Saul |url=https://ontariotechu.ca/convocation/about/honorary-degrees/2023/mr-john-ralston-saul.php |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=ontariotechu.ca |language=en}}</ref>
|Yes
|}
{{Incomplete list|date=September 2020}}

== Awards ==
* Italy's ''Premio Letterario Internazionale'', for ''The Paradise Eater'' (1990)
* [[Gordon Montador Award]], for ''The Unconscious Civilization'' (1996)<ref>"Writer Saul wins". ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'', May 9, 1996.</ref>
* Governor General's Literary Award for Non-fiction, for ''The Unconscious Civilization'' (1996)
* Gordon Montador Award, for ''Reflections of a Siamese Twin'' (1998)<ref name=nugget>"Montador award winners named". ''[[North Bay Nugget]]'', May 27, 1999.</ref>
* Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honour (2004)
* [[Manhae Literary Prize]] (2010)
* Inaugural Gutenburg Galaxy Award for Literature (2011)
* [[Writers' Union of Canada]]'s Freedom to Read Award (2011)

{{Incomplete list|date=September 2020}}

== Archives ==
There is a John Ralston Saul [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Ralston Saul fonds, Library and Archives Canada|date = July 20, 2017|url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=4871198&lang=eng|access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.icc-icc.ca/ Institute for Canadian Citizenship]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070115064824/http://www.motherjones.org/news/qa/2005/11/saul.html Interview with Mother Jones], November 9, 2005
*[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saul-john-ralston/ John Ralston Saul's] entry in [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120823131407/http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/102/john-ralston-saul.html "Canada's Spiritual Quest"], ''Adbusters'' magazine
* [https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,1502204,00.html "The prophet of anti-globalism" (interview)], ''The Guardian'', June 9, 2005
* [http://www.gpiatlantic.org/conference/proceedings/saul.htm Good governance as the Key to Gross National Happiness], keynote speech by John Ralston Saul at Rethinking Development (GNH2) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, June 23, 2005.
* [http://www.scottlondon.com/insight/scripts/saul.html Interview with Scott London] from the radio series "Insight and Outlook"
* [http://www.abc.net.au/specials/saul2/default.htm Full text and streaming audio] and [http://www.hawkecentre.unisa.edu.au/speeches/citizen.htm another transcript] of ''Citizenship vs the Reigning Linear Trap'', a public lecture given at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, August 29, 1999
* [http://www.abc.net.au/specials/saul/ Full text and streaming audio] and [http://evatt.org.au/publications/papers/20.html another transcript] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927030940/http://evatt.org.au/publications/papers/20.html |date=September 27, 2011 }} of ''Globalisation and Democracy'', a public lecture given at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, January 1999

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{{s-npo}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jiří Gruša]]|title=International President of [[PEN International]]|after= [[Jennifer Clement]]|years=2009–2015}}
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box|title=[[Viceregal consorts of Canada|Viceregal Consort of Canada]]|before=[[Diana Fowler LeBlanc]] | after=[[Jean-Daniel Lafond]]| years=1999–2005}}
{{S-end}}

{{Globalization}}

{{Governor General's English non-fiction|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saul, John Ralston}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian philosophers]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's College London]]
[[Category:Canadian humanists]]
[[Category:Canadian male novelists]]
[[Category:Canadian political philosophers]]
[[Category:Canadian political writers]]
[[Category:Canadian viceregal consorts]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:Governor General's Award–winning non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:PEN International]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:McGill University alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian philosophers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male writers]]
[[Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Ottawa]]