Adele Wiseman: An Annotated Bibliography

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta.

The creative output may seem slender—two novels, two plays, three
works of nonfiction, a few poems, and some 20 articles—but the
creative genius responsible for it was immense and unique. Indeed, her
contribution to the worlds of letters—in The Sacrifice alone—is
enough to place Adele Wiseman (who died June 1, 1992) in the ranks of
our finest writers. As Panofsky states in her lucid introduction, “The
familiarity of her public persona, the numerous excerpts of her work,
and the critical response which her writing continues to generate
confirm the importance of her particular vision to Canadian
literature.” This meticulous and thorough bibliography, therefore,
demonstrating both the creative dedication of the writer and her
reception by the scholarly community, is a fitting memorial to
Wiseman’s considerable achievement.

Panofsky’s methodology is simple yet effective. She divides her
material into two sections— primary and secondary. In the first, she
cites, in convenient short-title form, each primary work with subsequent
editions and translations. The only thing to be regretted here is that,
given space aplenty, she might have supplied quasi-facsimile
descriptions for the novels. In the second section, which includes
reviews, press notices and articles, all items are accompanied by
annotations, which (often quite extensively) usually paraphrase the
review or article itself. In the whole work there is little to criticize
and much to praise. It is comprehensive, accessible, and timely.