Scott Symons

Scott Symons
BornHugh Brennan Scott Symons
July 13, 1933 (1933-07-13)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedFebruary 23, 2009 (2009-02-24) (aged 75)
OccupationNovelist, journalist
Period1960s–1990s
Notable worksPlace d'Armes, Civic Square

Hugh Brennan Scott Symons (July 13, 1933 – February 23, 2009), known professionally as Scott Symons, was a Canadian writer.[1] He was most noted for his novels Place d'Armes and Civic Square, among the first works of LGBT literature ever published in Canada,[2] as well as a personal life that was often plagued by scandal and interpersonal conflict.[1]

He was openly gay[3] at a time when this was very difficult, publishing his first novel, Place d'Armes, which dealt directly with homosexuality, two years before gay sex was decriminalized in Canada. He was an avid diarist, and many of his observations and episodes from his life found their way into his novels.[3] His writing style was marked by experimental forms and structures, with one of his novels being published as handwritten pages packaged in a box, and by a blurring of the lines between fiction and non-fiction.[3]

  1. ^ a b "His life was his art. Alas, it was not a masterpiece". The Globe and Mail, February 27, 2009.
  2. ^ W. H. New, Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2002. ISBN 0802007619.
  3. ^ a b c Goldie, Terry (2003), Pink Snow: Homotextual Possibilities in Canadian Fiction, Broadview Press, p. 114, ISBN 1-55111-373-2