Michael Redhill

Michael Redhill – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the multifaceted life of Michael Redhill: the Canadian poet, novelist, playwright, and pseudonymous crime writer. Explore his background, works, philosophy, and memorable sayings.

Introduction

Michael Redhill (born June 12, 1966) is a Canadian poet, playwright, and novelist whose work spans genres, forms, and voices. He is also well known for writing under the pseudonym Inger Ash Wolfe, authoring crime fiction with a distinct sensibility. Redhill’s literary career is marked by versatility, reinvention, and a sensitivity to city life, memory, and human fragility.

Unlike many writers who remain tied to one form, Redhill moves fluently among poetry, drama, and fiction, while also engaging deeply with editorial and publishing work. His voice carries a subtle intensity, an interest in identity and doubleness, and a commitment to literary craftsmanship.

Early Life and Family

Michael Redhill was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but was raised in the greater Toronto, Ontario area, forging his identity as a Canadian writer.

Details of his family life are less public, but Redhill’s writing often hints at a sense of observing, dislocation, and the interplay of interior and exterior spaces — perhaps reflecting his cross-border roots.

He is married and has two sons, and he lives in Toronto.

Youth and Education

After growing up in Toronto, Redhill pursued higher education with an interlude in the United States:

• He studied for one year at Indiana University before returning to Canada.

• He completed further studies at York University and the University of Toronto.

These academic experiences grounded him in literary communities in Canada and exposed him to varied intellectual influences.

Career and Achievements

orial & Publishing Roles

Early in his career, Redhill was active behind the scenes in Canadian letters:

• From 1993 to 1996, he served on the editorial board of Coach House Press, a respected small press in Toronto.

• From 2000 to 2009, Redhill was the publisher of the literary magazine Brick, playing a role in curating and supporting Canadian writing.

These roles gave him insight into both the creative and structural side of the literary world.

Poetry & Drama

As a poet, Redhill has published several collections:

• Impromptu Feats of Balance (1990)

• Lake Nora Arms (1993)

• Asphodel (1997)

• Light-Crossing (2001)

• Twitch Force (2019)

His poetry often evokes architecture, cities, memory, and emotional tension.

In drama, Redhill has also written plays such as Building Jerusalem (2001), Goodness (2005), and Heretics (1993).

Fiction & Pseudonym Work

In prose, Redhill has written literary novels and mystery thrillers:

• His debut novel, Martin Sloane (2001), was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and won the Books in Canada First Novel Award.

• Later works include Fidelity (2003), Consolation (2006), and Bellevue Square (2017). Bellevue Square won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2017.

Under the pen name Inger Ash Wolfe, Redhill has published a crime fiction series featuring detective Hazel Micallef:

• The Calling (2008)

• The Taken (2010)

• A Door in the River (2012)

• The Night Bell (2015)

The use of a pseudonym allowed him to explore genre fiction and experiment with authorship and identity.

Historical Milestones & Context

• Redhill’s winning of the Giller Prize in 2017 for Bellevue Square was a major recognition in Canada’s literary sphere.

• His dual identity as both literary writer and genre (crime) novelist under a pseudonym is part of a broader trend among contemporary authors who cross traditional boundaries.

• His editorial roles at Brick and Coach House Press positioned him within the infrastructure of Canadian literary culture, not just as creator but as facilitator of other writers.

• In Bellevue Square, Redhill engages with themes of doppelgängers, urban space, and memory — placing him in conversation with modern and postmodern literary traditions.

Legacy and Influence

Michael Redhill’s influence is multifaceted:

• Crossover between genres: He demonstrates that a writer can straddle poetry, drama, literary fiction, and crime fiction while maintaining distinct voices.

• Mentorship & editorial impact: His work with literary magazines and presses has nurtured Canadian literary communities.

• Exploration of identity: His use of a pseudonym, and his thematic interest in doubles, mirrors contemporary questions about authorship and identity.

• Cultural presence in Canada: As a Giller Prize winner and active figure in Canadian writing, he has become part of the national literary conversation.

Personality and Talents

Character & Values

• Redhill is often described as a thoughtful and introspective writer, sensitive to emotional landscapes.

• He pursues intellectual play — his engagement with pseudonyms and multiplicity suggests curiosity about how narratives are constructed.

• He values craftsmanship, interrogating the act of writing itself, the life of the book, and the place of the city in memory.

Skills & Approach

• Versatility: His ability to shift between poetic precision, dramatic dialogue, and narrative suspense is notable.

• Control of tone: Whether in a poem or a thriller, Redhill displays a command of pacing, silence, and nuance.

• Intertextual awareness: His works often reference literary traditions, urban history, and existential concerns.

Famous Quotes of Michael Redhill

Here are some impactful quotations attributed to Redhill:

“The reason so many intelligent and creative people suffer from depression is that when you take the risk of being fully conscious, you open Pandora’s box, and you can’t close it again.”

“No one is depressed when they’re asleep, which is why being in bed is such a safe place if you're really down.”

“The idea of a pseudonym had been flitting around my brain for a long time ... In the 1980s, I published some poems under a pen name … it was fun.”

“We are already so many things by the time we reach the middle of life that it is possible to see that really anything can happen, and that, by extension, anything is doable.”

“I found that through my life, living in the city of Toronto, I look above the Pizza Pizza sign … I see evidence of a city that no longer exists … That presence of the old city has always moved me.”

“Charity should be blind to everything but need. Our personal feelings should not determine whose starvation is legitimate.”

“Having a child is sowing the seeds of your own obsolescence: birth is the fuse that leads to that other thing. You appear, you replace yourself, you die.”

These quotes reflect his interest in consciousness, identity, grief, moral consciousness, and the strangeness of interior life.

Lessons from Michael Redhill

From Redhill’s life and work, several broader lessons emerge:

1. Don’t confine your voice to one form
   Redhill shows that poets can write novels; genre writers can be literary—with authenticity in each mode.

2. Play with identity
   Using a pseudonym allowed him freedom and exploration. Writers may benefit from experimenting with voice and authorship.

3. Leverage both creation and curation
   His roles as editor, publisher, and literary community builder illustrate that literary influence comes beyond one’s own books.

4. Embrace multiplicity and uncertainty
   Themes of doubling, memory, and urban hauntings in his work teach openness to ambiguity and depth.

5. Attend closely to the everyday and the cityscape
   His attention to architectural details, signage, city artifacts suggests that art lies in noticing what others pass by.

Conclusion

Michael Redhill is a singular figure in contemporary Canadian literature — a poet who writes novels, a novelist who writes crime, a dramatist, a curator, and an explorer of inner lives and city spaces. His risk-taking, formal dexterity, and inquisitive voice make him a writer to watch and return to.