Doctor of Letters
(honoris causa) DLitt
Nipissing University honoured John Ralston Saul and celebrated its graduates and scholarship-winning students at its fall convocation, Friday, November 4, 2011.
Saul was conferred an honorary doctor of letters and delivered the convocation address to the graduates. A celebrated writer of fiction and non-fiction, Saul has emerged as Canada’s preeminent contemporary political philosopher. He has played an active role in a number of non-profit organizations including the Canadian Chapter of PEN International for which he has served as its Secretary, Vice-President and President. He has been involved with numerous organizations that promote a more civil and humane society, and is an advisor to Engineers Without Borders. Saul’s writing career has earned him many awards and accolades. He has won major literary awards, including the 1990 Italian Premio Letterario Internazionale, the 1996 Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction, the 2010 Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, and the 2011 Gutenberg Galaxy Award for Literature. In France, Saul was recently named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1995 he was named the Canadian Humanist of the Year. The same year, The Utne Reader included him in their feature, 100 Visionaries Who Could Change Your Life. His books have been translated into 22 languages and sold and published in 30 countries. Saul is married to former Governor General, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson.