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W. O. Mitchell was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Manitoba and then at the University of Alberta he did undergraduate studies. An author of novels, short stories, and plays, he is best known for his 1947 novel, Who Has Seen The Wind and the radio series and later a 1974 novel, Jake and the Kid. Both of these portray life on the Canadian Prairies where he grew up in the early part of the 20th century. He has often been called the Mark Twain of Canada for his vivid tales of young boys adventures.
While teaching high school, in 1942 three of his short stories were published and in 1947 his first and trademark novel Who Has Seen the Wind was published to critical acclaim and commercial success. In 1948 he moved to Toronto, Ontario to become the fiction editor for MacLean's magazine. In Toronto, Mitchell created "Jake and the Kid", a weekly radio series for the Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. For other uses, see CBC (disambiguation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation commonly known by the abbreviation CBC is Canada's government-owned television network and radio network. whose 320 episodes ran from 1949 to 1957.
In addition to producing a large body of work, W.O. Mitchell spent a great deal of time teaching others the craft of writing. He served as Professor of Creative Writing and Writer-In-Residence at several Canadian universities and was the director of the Banff Center 's writing division. In 1973Events January events January 1 United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark enter the European Economic Community now known as the European Union January 3 Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sells the New York Yankees for $10 million to a 12-person syndicate led he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaThe Order of Canada is Canada's highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Order's motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam meaning "they desire a better country. The Order was created on July 1, 1967, on the country's 100th anniversary, to re. In 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra he won the Stephen Leacock Award for According to Jake and the Kid. The list of other honors he has received includes honorary doctorates from five Canadian universities, an appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, and being named an Honorary Member of the Canadian Privy Council in 1992.
In 2000, Mitchell was honored by the government of Canada with his image on a postage stampThis is a list of people on stamps of Canada . John Abbott ( 1952) Emma Albani ( 1980) Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( 1851) Alexandra of Denmark ( 1908) Syl Apps ( 2001) Pitseolak Ashoona ( 1993) Robert Baldwin ( 1927) Frederick Banting ( 1991) Jean Belive.
His other notable works: