The following is an informal guide to Toronto literature, organized very loosely by subject, genre, theme and neighbourhood. It is offered as a starting point for further reading and does not pretend to be complete. Nor are the categories listed below meant to be exclusive (the ‘South Asian Diaspora’ list, for example, includes South Asian writers born in Africa, the Caribbean — particularly Trinidad — and Toronto as well).
For a longer and more complete listing of literary works (sorted alphabetically by author), please click to view the Imagining Toronto Library. If you are interested in critical scholarship and non-fiction books about Toronto, please click to view the Local History and Culture list.
If you would like to make suggestions or recommend additions to this guide, please contact Amy Lavender Harris at alharris [at] yorku [dot] ca.
Permission to make use of this bibliography, in whole or in part, for any purpose other than personal use or non-commercial academic research, shall be obtained in advance in writing.
§
Aboriginal Experience
Boyden, Joseph, 1997 [reissued 2003]. Born With a Tooth. Toronto: Cormorant. [stories; see especially the second section, "South: Ruin," which references Toronto.]
Boyden, Joseph, 2008. Through Black Spruce. Toronto: Penguin.
Dewdney, Selwyn [illustrated Olena Kassian], 1980. The Hungry Time. Toronto: Lorimer. [children's story]
Dimaline, Cherie, 2007. Red Rooms. Penticton, B.C.: Theytus Books.
Hefron, Dorris, 1971. A Nice Fire and Some Moonpennies. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
James, Janet Craig, 1988. My Name is Louis. Kaspuskasing, ON: Penumbra Press.
King, Thomas, 2003. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. 2003 CBC Massey Lectures. Toronto: Anansi.
Macdonald, Bruce, 2007. Coureurs De Bois. Toronto: Cormorant.
Moses, Daniel David, 1980. Delicate Bodies. Vancouver, BC: Blewointment. [poetry]
Moses, Daniel David, 1990. The White Line. Saskatoon: Fifth House. [poetry]
Moses, Daniel David, 1998. Big Buck City. A Play in Two Acts. Toronto: Exile Editions. [play]
Moses, Daniel David, 2000. Coyote City and City of Shadows. Toronto: Imago. [plays]
Nunn, Robert, ed., 2008. Drew Hayden Taylor: Essays on His Works. Toronto: Guernica.
Simpson, Jonathan, 1973. No Virgin Mary. Toronto: Dorann. [novel features Aboriginal protagonists; author may not be Aboriginal himself]
Taylor, Drew Hayden, ed., 2005. Me Funny. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre.
Taylor, Drew Hayden, ed., 2008. Me Sexy. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre. [essays on Aboriginal sexuality]
Annex
Atwood, Margaret, 1993. The Robber Bride. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Eddie, David, 1996. Chump Change. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Gilmour, David, 2001. Sparrow Nights. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Govier, Katherine, 1985. Fables of Brunswick Avenue: Stories. Toronto: HarperPerennial.
Holmes, Michael, 1998. Satellite Dishes From the Future Bakery. Toronto: Coach House.
Nicho, bp, 1982. The Martyrology, Book V. Toronto: Coach House.
Asian Experience
Bates, Judy Fong, 1997. China Dog and Other Tales from a Chinese Laundry. Toronto: Sister Vision Press.
Bates, Judy Fong, 2003. Midnight at the Dragon Cafe. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Chao, Lien and Jim Wong-Chu, eds., 2003. Strike the Wok: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Canadian Fiction. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Chao, Lien, 2008. The Chinese Knot and Other Stories. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Irie, Kevin, 1992. Burning the Dead. Toronto: Wolsak and Wynn. [poetry]
Kam, Winston Christopher, 2010. “Bachelor Man.” In RelAsianships, Volume 1, ed. Nina Lee Aquino. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press. [play]
Kogawa, Joy, 1992. Itsuka. Toronto: Viking.
Lam, Vincent, 2006. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
Moritsugu, Kim, 1996. Looks Perfect. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane Editions.
Morton, Colin, 1995. Oceans Apart. Kingston: Quarry Press.
Quan, Betty, 1998. Mother Tongue. Scirocco Drama. [play]
Sangwine, Jean, 1997. A Turtle Called Friendly. Oakville, ON: Rubicon.
Tamaki, Mariko, 2000. Cover Me. Toronto: McGilligan.
Ty, ELeanor and Christyl Verduyn, eds., 2008. Asian Canadian Writing: Beyond Autoethnography. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfred Laurier University Press.
Umezawa, Rui, 2002. The Truth About Death and Dying. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
Woo, Terry, [2000] 2005. Banana Boys. Toronto: Cormorant.
Black Experience
Bannerji, Himani, 1991. Coloured Pictures. Toronto: Sister Vision. [children's story]
Black, Ayanna, ed., 1992. Voices: Canadian Writers of African Descent. Toronto: HarperCollins.
Black, Ayanna, ed., 1994. Fiery Spirits: Canadian Writers of African Descent. Toronto: Harper Collins.
Brand, Dionne, 1994. “Driving North, Driving Home”, “Bathurst”. In Bread out of Stone. Toronto: Vintage.
Brand, Dionne, 1996. In Another Place, Not Here. Toronto: Knopf.
Brand, Dionne, 1997. Land to Light On. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [poetry]
Brand, Dionne, 2002. Thirsty. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [poetry]
Brand, Dionne, 2005. What We All Long For. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
Chariandy, David, 2007. Soucouyant. Vancouver: Anvil.
Clarke, Austin, 1967. The Meeting Point. Vintage Canada. (the first book of Clarke’s Toronto Trilogy)
Clarke, Austin, 1971. When He Was Free and Young and He Used to Wear Silks. Stories. Toronto: Anansi.
Clarke, Austin, 1973. Storm of Fortune. Little, Brown & Company. (the second book of Clarke’s Toronto trilogy; released in 1998 as a Vintage Canada paperback)
Clarke, Austin, 1975. The Bigger Light. (the third book of Clarke’s Toronto trilogy)
Clarke, Austin, 1985. When Women Rule. Stories. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Clarke, Austin, 1986. Nine Men Who Laughed. Stories. Toronto: Penguin.
Clarke, Austin, 1992. In This City. Stories. Toronto: Exile Editions.
Clarke, Austin, 1994. There Are No Elders. Stories. Toronto: Exile Editions.
Clarke, Austin, 1997. The Origin of Waves. McClelland & Stewart.
Clarke, Austin, 1999. The Question. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart / Emblem Editions.
Clarke, Austin, 2003. Choosing his Coffin. The Best Stories of Austin Clarke. Toronto: Thomas Allen.
Clarke, Austin, 2008. More. Toronto: Thomas Allen.
Clarke, George Eliot, ed., 1997. Eyeing the North Star: Directions in African-Canadian Literature. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [anthology]
Cooper, Afua, illustrated Stephanie Martin, 1989. Red Caterpillar on College Street. Toronto: Sister Vision. [children's story]
Foster, Cecil, 1995. Sleep On, Beloved. Toronto: Random House. [fiction]
Gorrell, Gena, 1996. North Star to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railway. Toronto: Stoddart. [children's story]
Head, Harold, ed., 1976. Canada In Us Now: The First Anthology of Black Poetry and Prose in Canada. Toronto: NC Press.
Hill, Lawrence, 1997. Any Known Blood. Toronto: Harper Collins.
Hill, Lawrence, 2001. Black Berry Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. Toronto: Harper Collins. [memoir]
Hopkinson, Nalo, 1998. Brown Girl in the Ring. New York: Warner. [fiction]
Hopkinson, Nalo, 2001. Skin Folk. New York: Warner / Aspect. [stories]
Joseph, Clifton, 1983. Metropolitan Blues. Toronto[?]: Domestic Bliss. [poetry]
Kwamdela, Odimumba, 1971; revised 1986. Niggers This is Canada. New York: Kibo Books.
MacKay, Claire, 1984. The Minerva Program. Toronto: Lorimer.
McLean, Dirk, 1996. Steel Drums and Ice Skates. Toronto: Groundwood. [children's story]
McWatt, Tessa, 2000. Dragons Cry. Toronto: Riverbank Press.
Miguna, Miguna, 1996. Toes Have Tales. Toronto: AV Publications.
Nurse, Donna Bailey, ed., 2006. Revival: An Anthology of Black Canadian Writing. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. (see especially Nurse’s excellent introductory essay)
Philip, Marlene Nourbese, 1988. Harriet’s Daughter. Toronto: The Women’s Press. (Children’s novel)
Prince, Althea, 2001. Loving This Man. Toronto: Insomniac Press.
Prince, Althea, 2005. Ladies of the Night: Stories. Toronto: Insomniac Press.
Richardson, Karen and Steven Green, eds., 2004. T Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers. Trafford.
Shadd, Adrienne, Afua Cooper, Karolyn Smardz Frost, 2005. The Underground Railroad: Next Stop Toronto. Toronto: Natural Heritage Books.
Silvera, Makeda, 1993. Her Head a Village. Toronto: Press Gang.
Silvera, Makeda, 2002. The Heart Does Not Bend. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Singer, Yvonne, 1977. Little Miss Yes-Yes. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
Smith, Charles C., ed., 1985. Sad Dances in a Field of White: Poetry by and about Blacks in Canada. Toronto: Is Five Press.
Bloor Viaduct
Bobet, Leah, 2004. “Midnights on the Bloor Viaduct.” On Spec, Summer.
Ondaatje, Michael, 1987. In the Skin of a Lion. Toronto: Vintage.
Cabbagetown
Butler, Juan, 1970. Cabbagetown Diary: A Documentary. (a novel) Toronto: Peter Martin Associates Limited.
Cornish, John, 1968. Sherbourne Street. Toronto: Clarke Irwin.
Garner, Hugh, [first published in abridged form in 1950 by White Circle] 1968. Cabbagetown. Toronto: Ryerson Press. Note that the two versions differ significantly and are both worth reading.
Garner, Hugh [under the pseudonym Jarvis Warwick], 1950. Waste No Tears. News Stand / Export Publishing.
Garner, Hugh, 1976. The Intruders. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. (A follow-up, in some ways, to Cabbagetown.)
Kelly, Colleen, 1984. Cabbagetown in Pictures. Local History Handbook No. 4. Toronto: Toronto Public Library Board.
Lorimer, James and Myfanwy Phillips, 1971. Working People: Life in a Downtown City Neighbourhood. Toronto: James Lewis & Samuel Ltd. [narratives of Cabbagetown]
Matheson, George, 1996. Hogs and Cabbages. Lumby, British Columbia: Kettle Valley Publishing.
McAree, J.V., 1953. Cabbagetown Store. (memoir). Toronto: Ryerson Press.
Plantos, Ted, 1977. The Universe Ends at Sherbourne & Queen. Toronto: Steel Rail Publishing.
Plantos, Ted, 2000. The Shanghai Noodle Killing. Toronto: Seraphim.
Rosen, Eric S., 1991. The Banker of Cabbagetown. Toronto: Eric S. Rosen. [play / theatre and history]
Rust-D’Eye, George, [1984] 1993. Cabbagetown Remembered. Toronto: Stoddart. [local history]
Thurman, Mark, 1987. Cabbagetown Gang. Toronto: NC Press. [children's / young adult]
Type, David, 1979. Cabbagetown Plays (Diamond Cutters, Snow Birds and The Travesty and the Fruit Fly). Toronto: Playwrights Co-Op.
Type, David, 1984. Just Us Indians. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press. [play; also set in Cabbagetown]
Wynne-Jones, Tim, 1982. The Knot. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [fiction]
Children and Young Adults
Books Suitable for Little Children
Cohen, Matt, 1988 [writing under the pseudonym "Teddy Jam"; illustrated Eric Beddows, 2000]. Night Cars. Toronto: Groundwood Books / Anansi. [children's book]
Cooper, Afua, illustrated Stephanie Martin, 1989. Red Caterpillar on College Street. Toronto: Sister Vision. [children's story]
Dewdney, Selwyn [illustrated Olena Kassian], 1980. The Hungry Time. Toronto: Lorimer. [children's story]
Espinet, Ramabai, 1992. The Princess of Spadina. A Tale of Toronto. Toronto: Sister Vision Press. [Children's story about Toronto, Spadina, and Kensington Market. Richly illustrated by Veronica Sullivan.]
Fagan, Carey, 2000. The Market Wedding. Toronto: Tundra Books. [Children's story set in Kensington Market.]
Freedman, Zelda, 2005. Rosie’s Dream Cape. Ronsdale Press. [Children's story; deals with working conditions in the Toronto garment industry, circa 1921.]
Gorrell, Gena, 1996. North Star to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railway. Toronto: Stoddart. [children's story]
Goulding, Dorothy Jane, illustrated Michael Martchenko, 1966. Margaret. Toronto: McGraw-Hill. [children's story]
Ishawaran, Wobine, 2007. The Fly Away Kite: Centre Island Picnic. UK: Authorhouse. [children's book]
Kertes, Joseph, 1995. The Gift. Toronto: Groundwood. [children's story]
Kertes, Joseph, 1997. The Red Corduroy Shirt. Toronto: Stoddart. [children's story]
Klunder, Barbara W., 2009. The Animals’ Day: An Island Alphabet. Toronto: Groundwood / Anansi.
Lee, Dennis, 1974; illustrations Frank Newfeld. Alligator Pie. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Lee, Dennis, 2001. The Cat and the Wizard. Toronto: Key Porter Books.
Little, Jean, illustrated Joan Sundin, 1972. From Anna. Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside. [children's story]
MacKay, Claire, 1984. The Minerva Program. Toronto: Lorimer.
McLean, Dirk, 1996. Steel Drums and Ice Skates. Toronto: Groundwood. [children's story]
Moak, Allan, 1984, 2002. A Big City ABC. Montreal; Toronto: Tundra Books. [children's alphabet picture book]
Munsch, Robert [illustrated by Michael Martchenko], 1981. Jonathan Cleaned Up–Then He Heard a Sound; or, Blackberry Subway Jam. Toronto: Annick Press. [children's story] A number of Munsch’s other works are set in Toronto or are illustrated as if they are (e.g., The Fire Station, whose illustrations incorporate Toronto scenes while the book is actually set in Ohio), but will be included here only if the Toronto setting is integral to the story.
Nichol, Barbara, 1997. Dippers. Tundra. [Children’s story about the Don River, circa 1912.] See also One Small Garden (2004).
Oberman, Sheldon [illustrated by Les Tait], 1996. The White Stone in the Castle Wall. Toronto: Tundra. [children's story about Casa Loma]
Reid, Barbara, 2003. The Subway Mouse. Toronto: Scholastic. [Children's story]
Sangwine, Jean, 1997. A Turtle Called Friendly. Oakville, ON: Rubicon.
Schwartz, Joanne [illustrator Laura Beingessner], 2009. Our Corner Grocery Store. Toronto: Tundra. [children's story]
Schwartz, Joan and Matt Beam, 2009. City Alphabet. Toronto: Groundwood. [children's alphabet]
Singer, Yvonne, 1977. Little Miss Yes-Yes. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
Upjohn, Rebecca, 2007. Lily and the Paper Man. Toronto: Second Story Press. Illustrated by Renne Benoit.
Wallace, Ian and Angela Wood, 1975. The Sandwich. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
Yerou, Aristides, Cathleen Hoskins and Barry Dickson, illustrated Barbara Di lella, 1984. The Friendship Solution; My Father’s Ghost. Toronto: Lorimer.
Books Suitable for Older Children and Teens
Bannerji, Himani, 1991. Coloured Pictures. Toronto: Sister Vision. [children's story]
Bennett, Ethel Hume, 1922. Judy of York Hill. New York: Houghton Mifflin. [children's story]
Benson, Nella J., 1982. The Lady’s Maid. Toronto: Bantam / Seal. [fiction; young adult; set partly in nineteenth century Toronto]
Bow, James, 2008. The Young City. Toronto: Dundurn. [young adult]
Brandis, Marianne, 1990. The Sign of the Scales. Erin, Ontario: Porcupine’s Quill. (historical novel suitable for adult and young adult readers; see also The Tinderbox (Porcupine’s Quill, 1982 and The Quarter-pie Window (Porcupine’s Quill, 1985. Brandis has also written other historical novels set in nineteenth century York, including Fire Ship ; Porcupine’s Quill, 1982.)
Coburn, Judi, 1998. The Shacklands. Toronto: Sumach. [Young adult, working class fiction, set in the Junction]
Cooper, Susan, 1993. The Boggart. Toronto: Aladdin. [Children's story]
Cowan, Jennifer, 2009. Earthgirl. Toronto: Groundwood. [young adult]
Evanova, Katarina, 1994. Stage-Lights. Oakville, ON: Mosaic.
Fleming, Anne, 2005. Anomaly. Vancouver: Raincoast.
Foran, Charles, 1998. The Story of My Life (So Far). Toronto: Harper Collins. [A fictionalized memoir of childhood in Toronto]
Franke, Wolfgang E., 1983. Goldenrod. Toronto: Trans-Canada Press. [young adult]
Gabrielle, Lisa, 2002. Tempting Faith Di Napoli. Toronto: Doubleday. [young adult]
Herapath, Theodora, 1974. Journey into Danger. Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic. [young adult novel of historical Toronto and environs.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1981. That Scatterbrain Booky. Toronto: Scholastic. [Children's book set in Depression-era Toronto. First volume of the 'Booky' series. Highly recommended.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1983. With Love From Booky. Toronto: Scholastic. [Children's book set in Depression-era Toronto. Second volume of the 'Booky' series.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1984. A Place for Margaret. Toronto: Scholastic. [First book of the 'Margaret' series, set partially in Toronto; latter books are set in the Shelburne area.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1985. As Ever, Booky. Toronto: Scholastic. [Children's book set in Depression-era Toronto. Third volume of the 'Booky' series.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1992. The Firefighter. Toronto: Scholastic. [Young adult; set in 1950s-era Toronto.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1993. Hawk and Stretch. Toronto: Scholastic. [A follow-up, in some ways, to the 'Booky' series; the principal character in this novel is Booky's younger brother, Billy. Set in WWII-era Toronto.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1995. Amy’s Promise. Toronto: Scholastic. [Young adult novel set mainly in 1920s-era Toronto.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 1998. Janey’s Choice. Toronto: Scholastic. [Young adult novel set in Winnipeg and Toronto.]
Hunter, Bernice Thurman, 2005 [published posthumously]. The Girls They Left Behind. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. [Young adult novel set in WWII-era Toronto.]
Kirshner, Lauren, 2009. Where We Have to Go. Toronto: Emblem / McClelland & Stewart. [young adult to adult]
Lunn, Janet, 1968. Double Spell. Toronto: Peter Martin Associates Limited. [Children's or young adult novel, historical mystery, republished as Twin Spell in 1968 by Harper & Row. A simply excellent story, set largely in the Beach(es).]
Mcnamee, Graham, 2003. Acceleration. Wendy Lamb Books. [Young adult; horror / thriller]
Pearson, Kit, 2002. Whispers of War: The War of 1812 Diary of Susanna Merritt. Toronto: Scholastic. [Young adult, part of the Dear Canada series]
Philip, Marlene Nourbese, 1988. Harriet’s Daughter. Toronto: The Women’s Press. (Children’s novel)
Schultz, Emily, 2006. Joyland. Toronto: ECW Press.
Scrimger, Richard, 2007. Into the Ravine. Toronto: Tundra.
Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1898. Wild Animals I Have Known. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. [See in particular "Silverspot, The Story of a Crow" and "Redruff, the Story of the Don Valley Partridge"]
Shadd, Adrienne, Afua Cooper, Karolyn Smardz Frost, 2005. The Underground Railroad: Next Stop Toronto. Toronto: Natural Heritage Books.
Soo, Kean, 2008. Jellaby, Volume 1. Hyperion. [graphic novel for children]
Soo, Kean, 2009. Jellaby: Monster in the City. Hyperion. [graphic novel for children]
Thurman, Mark, 1987. Cabbagetown Gang. Toronto: NC Press. [children's / young adult]
Class Fictions
Birney, Earle, 1955. Down the Long Table. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [fiction]
Clarke, Austin, 1986. “Canadian Experience.” In Nine Men Who Laughed. Stories. Toronto: Penguin.
Coburn, Judi, 1998. The Shacklands. Toronto: Sumach.
Garner, Hugh, 1968. Cabbagetown. Toronto: Ryerson Press.
Greenwood, Barbara, 2007. Factory Girl. Toronto: Kids Can Press. [children's book]
Hayward, Steven, 2005. The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
Schultz, Emily, 2009. Heaven is Small. Toronto: Anansi.
Wright, Richard and Robin Enores, eds., 1976. Eight Men Speak and other plays from the Canadian Workers Theatre. Toronto: New Hogtown Press.
Crime, Detective, Horror, Mystery, Noir
Abram, Alvin, 2002. The Unlikely Victims (A Gabe Garshowitz Mystery). Toronto: AMA Graphics.
Armin, Janine and Nathaniel G. Moore, eds., 2008. Toronto Noir. New York: Akashic. [anthology]
Aubert, Rosemary, 1997. Free Reign. Bridge Works / Beckley. See also the other novels in Aubert’s Ellis Portal series: The Feast of Stephen (1999, Bridge Works / Beckley), The Ferryman Will Be There (2001, McArthur), Leave Me By Dying (2003, McArthur), and Red Mass (2006, McArthur).
Barclay, Linwood, 2004. Bad Move. New York: Bantam.
Barclay, Linwood, 2005. Bad Guys. New York: Bantam.
Barclay, Linwood, 2007. Stone Rain. New York: Bantam.
Blechta, Rick, 2001. Shooting Straight in the Dark. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [fiction]
Blechta, Rick, 2008. A Case of You. Toronto: Napoleon / RendezVous. [fiction]
Bradshaw, Mel, 2004. Death in the Age of Steam. Toronto: Rendezvous Press. [mystery set in 1850s Toronto]
Bradshaw, Mel, 2005. Quarrel with the Foe. Toronto: Rendezvous Crime. [mystery set in 1920s Toronto]
Brady, Liz, 2001. Bad Date. Toronto: Second Story Press. [A Jane Yeats Mystery]
Brady, Liz, 2004. See Jane Run. Toronto: Second Story Press. [A Jane Yeats Mystery]
Capponi, Pat, 2006. Last Stop Sunnyside. Toronto: Harper Collins Canada.
Capponi, 2008. The Corpse Will Keep. Toronto: Harper Collins.
Carpenter, J.D., 2001. The Devil in Me. (A Campbell Young Mystery). Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Crichton, William, 1978. I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses. Markham, ON: Paperjacks. [fiction; thriller]
Deverell, William, 1995. Street Legal: The Betrayal. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. (Deverell is the creator of the CBC Street Legal series.)
Dunford, Warren, 2005. The Scene Stealer. Toronto: Cormorant.
Dunford, Warren, 2001. Making a Killing. Toronto: Penguin (reissued 2005 by Cormorant).
Dunford, Warren, 1998. Soon to be a Major Motion Picture. Toronto: Riverbank Press (reissued 2005 by Cormorant).
Durie, Anna, 1933. John Dangerfield’s Strange Reappearance. Toronto: Best.
Engel, Howard, 1986. A City Called July. New York: Viking.
Fielding, Joy, 2003. Lost. Simon & Schuster / Atria. (mystery novel; intersects with Toronto International Film Festival)
Fielding, Joy, 2005. Puppet. Simon & Schuster / Atria [mystery novel]
Galt, George, 1997. Scribes & Scoundrels. Toronto: ECW Press.
Garner, Hugh, 1970. The Sin Sniper. Toronto: Simon and Schuster / Pocket Books.
Garner, Hugh, 1975. Death in Don Mills. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Gordon, Alison, 1995. Striking Out. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. (detective / mystery). See also: Safe at Home (1991).
Green, Terence M., 1988. Barking Dogs. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Gutteridge, Don, 2003. Turncoat. (A Mark Edwards Mystery). Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Gutteridge, Don, 2003. Solemn Vows: A Mark Edwards Mystery. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Huff, Tanya, 1991. Blood Price. New York: Daw. Part of the Vicki Nelson detective series, which also includes Blood Trail (1992), Blood Lines (1992), Blood Pact (1993), and Blood Debt (1997).
Jennings, Maureen, 2006. Vices of My Blood. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. Book 6 of the Detective William Murdoch series, set in 1890s Toronto. See also: Night’s Child (no. 5, 2005), Let Loose the Dogs (no. 4, 2002), Poor Tom is Cold (no. 3, 2001), Under the Dragon’s Tail (no. 2, 1998), Except the Dying (no. 1, 2001).
McFetridge, John, 2006. Dirty Sweet. Toronto: ECW Press. [mystery / thriller]
McFetridge, John, 2008. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Toronto: ECW. [mystery / thriller]
McFetridge, John, 2009. Swap. Toronto: ECW Press.
Miller, Jeffrey, 2004. Murder at Osgoode Hall. Toronto: ECW. [mystery]
Miller, Jeffrey, 2005. Murder’s Out of Tune. Toronto: ECW Press.
Moss, John, 2008. Still Waters. Toronto: Dundurn. [a Quin and Morgan Mystery]
Moss, John, 2009. Grave Doubts. Toronto: Dundurn. [a Quin and Morgan Mystery]
Nichol, James W., 2002. Midnight Cab. Toronto: Knopf.
Rehner, Jan, 2003. Just Murder. Toronto: Sumach.
Rotenberg, Robert, 2009. Old City Hall. New York: Touchstone / Viking.
Ruddy, Jon, 1980. The Rosedale Horror. Toronto: Paperjacks.
Skene-Melvin, David, ed.1996. Bloody York: Tales of Mayhem, Murder and Mystery in Toronto. Toronto: Simon & Pierre. [An Anthology of crime, detective, and mystery stories set in Toronto, dating to 1888. The introductory essay is thoughtful and revelatory.]
Warsh, Sylvia Maultash, 2000. To Die in Spring [A Rebecca Temple Mystery]. Toronto: Dundurn / Castle Street Mysteries.
Warsh, Sylvia Maultash, 2003. Find Me Again [A Rebecca Temple Mystery]. Toronto: Dundurn / Castle Street Mysteries.
Warsh, Sylvia Maultash, 2006. Season of Iron. Toronto: Dundurn.
Wright, Eric, 2002. The Last Hand. Dundurn. The final installment of the Charlie Salter Mysteries, which also includes The Night the Gods Smiled (1984; winner of the City of Toronto book award), Smoke Detector (1984), Death in the Old Country (1985), A Single Death (1986), A Body Surrounded by Water (1987), A Question of Murder (1988), A Sensititve Case (1990), Final Cut (1991), A Fine Italian Hand (1992), and Death By Degrees (1993).
Wright, Eric, 2000. Death of a Sunday Writer. A Castle Street Mystery. Toronto: Dundurn. [hardcover edition originally published 1999 by St. Martin's Press]
Disease and Healing
Allen, Sol, 1949. Toronto Doctor. Toronto: Rock Publishing.
Allen, Sol, 1965. The Gynecologist. Toronto: Rock Publishing.
Charters, Michael, 1970. Victor Victim. Toronto: Anansi.
Coles, Don, 2004. Doctor Bloom’s Story. Toronto: Knopf Canada.
Davies, Robertson, 1994. The Cunning Man. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Findley, Timothy, 1993. Headhunter. Toronto: Harper Collins Canada.
Gibson, Margaret (Margaret Gibson Gilboord), 1976. The Butterfly Ward. Toronto: Oberon.
Hoolboom, Mike, 2008. The Steve Machine. Toronto: Coach House.
Lam, Vincent, 2006. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
Foreign Language
Bauer, Walter, 1963. Fremd in Toronto: Erzahlungen und Prostucke. Hattingen (Ruhr): Hundt-Verlag, Hattingen. [A Stranger in Toronto]
Bouraoui, Hedi, [trans. Elizabeth Sabiston] 2008. Thus Speaks the CN Tower. Toronto: CMC Editions. Originally published in French as Ainsi Parle La Tour CN (1999).
Davidson, Frederic, n.d. Du Vieux Vin Dans Des Bouteilles Neuves. Paris: Libraire Baudiere.
Leclair, Didier, 2000. Toronto, je T’aime: Roman. Montreal: Vermillon. [fiction; French]
Messier, Mireille, 2004. Déclic à Toronto. Editions de Vermillion. [young adult; French]
Forest Hill
Drache, Sharon Abron, 1993. The Golden Ghetto. Toronto: William-Wallace. [stories; set in Forest Hill]
FitzGerald, James, 1994. Old Boys: The Powerful Legacy of Upper Canada College. Toronto: Macfarlane Walter & Ross.
FitzGerald, James, 2010. What Disturbs our Blood: A Son’s Quest to Redeem the Past. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
French, William, 1964. A Most Unlikely Village. Forest Hill, ON: The Corporation of the Village of Forest Hill.
Irving, John, 1989. A Prayer for Owen Meany. Toronto: Random House.
Gender and Heterosexuality
Allen, Sol, 1949. Toronto Doctor. Toronto: Rock Publishing.
Allen, Sol, 1965. The Gynecologist. Toronto: Rock Publishing.
Atwood, Margaret, 1969. The Edible Woman. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Govier, Katherine, 1982. Going Through the Motions. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Holmes, Michael, 2000. Watermelon Row. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press.
Jonas, George, 1981. Final Decree. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Lee, Stephen Andrew, 1997. Tales from Sanctuary, the Vampire Sex Bar. Toronto: Spitfire Books.
Lim, Thea, 2007. The Same Woman. Halifax; Montreal: Invisible Publishing.
Marche, Stephen, 2005. Raymond and Hannah. Toronto: Doubleday.
Moran, Eva, 2008. Porny Stories. Montreal: DC Books / Punchy Prose.
Smith, Jim, 1983. Virus. Toronto: Underwhich Editions. [poetry chapbook]
Graphic Novels
Munday, Evan, 2009. Quarter Life Crisis Volume 1: Only the Good Die Yung.
Ngui, Marc, 2002. Enter Avariz. Conundrum.
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2004. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 1]
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2005. Scott Pilgrim Versus the World. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 2]
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2006. Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 3]
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2007. Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 4]
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2009. Scott Pilgrim Versus the Universe. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 5]
O’Malley, Bryan Lee, 2010. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour. Portland, OR: ONI Press. [graphic novel; Volume 6]
Soo, Kean, 2008. Jellaby, Volume 1. Hyperion.
Soo, Kean, 2009. Jellaby: Monster in the City. Hyperion.
Historical Toronto
Bridle, Augustus, 1924. Hansen: A Novel of Canadianization. Toronto: Macmillan
Galt, John, 1831 [reissued 1971]. Bogle Corbet. McClelland & Stewart / New Canadian Library. [Strictly speaking, Bogle Corbet is not a Toronto novel, but two chapters -- XI and XII -- are set in 1830s-era Toronto.]
Herapath, Theodora, 1974. Journey into Danger. Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic. [young adult novel of historical Toronto and environs.]
Hood, Hugh, 1975. The Swing in the Garden. Toronto: General Publishing. Hugh Hood’s “The New Age / Le Nouvelle Siecle” series consists of twelve novels tracing Ontario life through most of the twentieth century. Toronto appears recurringly in these novels, particularly in The Swing in the Garden (the first), Reservoir Ravine (the second) and Black and White Keys (the fourth). The full set: The Swing in the Garden (1975), A New Athens (1977), Reservoir Ravine (1979), Black and White Keys (1982), The Scenic Art (1984), The Motor Boys in Ottawa (1986), Tony’s Book (1988), Property and Value (1990), Be Sure to Close Your Eyes (1993), Dead Men’s Watches (1995), Great Realizations (1997), and Near Water (2000).
Horning, Lewis Emerson and Lawrence J. Burpee, 1904. Bibliography of Canadian Fiction. Victoria University Library Publication No. 2. Toronto: William Briggs. Electronically accessible here.
Howison, John, [1821] Facsimile edition 1970. Sketches of Upper Canada. Toronto: Coles.
Millner, George F., 1914. The Sergeant of Fort Toronto. Boston: Gorham. [A novel about Toronto under the French regime.
Moir, John S., 1965. Rhymes of Rebellion. Being a Selection of Contemporary Verses About the "Recent Unpleasantness" in Upper Canada, 1837. Toronto: Ryerson. [An anthology of poems and lyrics about the 1837 rebellion.]
Mulvaney, C. Pelham, 1884. Toronto: Past and Present. Toronto: W.E. Caiger. [facsimile edition reprinted in 1970 by Ontario reprint Press.]
Redhill, Michael, 2006. Consolation. Toronto: Doubleday / Random House.
Robertson, J. Ross, [1911] facsimile edition 1973. The Diary of Mrs. John Graves Simcoe, Wife of the First Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, 1792-6. Toronto: Coles.
Salutin, Rick, 1976. 1837: William Lyon Mackenzie and the Canadian Revolution. Toronto: Lorimer. [play]
Scadding, Henry [edited by Frederick H. Armstrong], 1987. Toronto of Old. Toronto: Dundurn. [A revised second edition of Scadding's classic book, published originally in 1873.]
Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1898. Wild Animals I Have Known. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. [See in particular "Silverspot, The Story of a Crow" and "Redruff, the Story of the Don Valley Partridge"]
Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1903. Two Little Savages. Toronto: William Briggs. [Part I is set in a Toronto ravine; presumably the Don Valley]
Slater, Patrick, 1933. The Yellow Briar. Toronto: Thomas Allen. [Patrick Slater is a pseudonym used by Toronto lawyer John Mitchell in writing this fictionalized account of mid-19th century Toronto.]
Wodson, Harry M., 1917. The Whirlpool: Scenes from Toronto Police Court. Toronto: Wodson.
Hurricane Hazel
Atwood, Margaret, 1983. “Hurricane Hazel.” In Bluebeard’s Egg. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Aubert, Rosemary, 1997. Free Reign. New York: Berkely / Bridge Works. [deals with a contemporary flood modeled on Hurricane Hazel]
Gifford, Jim, 2004. Hurricane Hazel: Canada’s Storm of the Century. Toronto: Dundurn.
Michaels, Anne, 1996. Fugitive Pieces. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Pitt, Steve, illustrated by Heather Collins, 2004. Rain Tonight: A Story of Hurricane Hazel. Toronto: Tundra Books.
Sileika, Antanas, 1997. “Shale.” In Buying on Time. Erin, ON: Porcupine’s Quill.
Sinnett, Mark, 2009. The Carnivore. Toronto: ECW Press. [fiction]
Walters, Eric, 2007. Safe as Houses. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
Italian Experience
Allison, Rosemary, illustrated by Charles Hilder, 1979. The Pillow. Toronto: James Lorimer & Co. [children's story]
Chiocca, Olindo Romeo, 2005. College Street. Toronto: Guernica.
Di Cicco, Pier Giorgio, 1977. “6 Months of the CN Tower” (poem) The Sad Facts. Vancouver: Fiddlehead.
Di Cicco, Pier Giorgio, 2002. The Honeymoon Wilderness. Toronto: The Mansfield Press.
Di Cicco, Pier Giorgio, 2009. Names of Blessing. Toronto: Novalis.
Digiovanni, Caroline Morgan, 2005. Italian Canadian Voices: A Literary Anthology, 1946-2005. New York: Mosaic Press.
Gabrielle, Lisa, 2002. Tempting Faith Di Napoli. Toronto: Doubleday. [young adult]
Hayward, Steven, 2005. The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
Paci, F.G., 1993. Sex and Character. Ottawa: Oberon. [fiction; 1960s Yorkville/Rochdale]
Paci, F.C., 2002. Italian Shoes. Toronto: Guernica.
Paina, Corrado, 2008. Souls in Plain Clothes. Toronto: Mansfield Press. [poetry; see especially 'Embrace the Walls," a poem about Toronto's preoccupation with multiculturalism; and "The Lake is Over Us"]
Patriarca, Gianna, 1994. Italian Women and Other Tragedies. Toronto: Guernica. [poetry]
Patriarca, Gianna, 1997. Daughters for Sale. Toronto: Guernica. [poetry / memoir]
Partiarca, Gianna, 1999. Ciao, Baby. Toronto: Guernica.[poetry]
Patriarca, Gianna, 2005. What My Arms Can Carry. Toronto: Guernica. [poetry]
Repo, Satu, 1978. Marco and Michela. Toronto: Lorimer.
Ricci, Nino, 1993. In a Glass House. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. The follow-up to Ricci’s Lives of the Saints (1990); the trilogy concludes with Where She Has Gone (1997). The second and third volumes focus on Victor’s progress through undergraduate and graduate studies in Toronto, punctuated by returns to Italy and elsewhere. York University appears in In a Glass House as “Centennial University” (see chapters 18-20).
Ricci, Nino, 1997. Where She Has Gone. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Jewish Experience
Andre, Marion, 1990. Maria B. Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press.
Faessler, Shirley, 1979. Everything in the Window. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Faessler, Shirley, 1988. A Basket of Apples and other Stories. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Fagan, Cary, 1990. History Lessons. Toronto: Hounslow.
Fagan, Cary, 1994. The Animals’ Waltz. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys. [fiction]
Hayward, Steven, 2005. The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
Holz, Cynthia, 2003. A Good Man. Toronto: Thomas Allen.
Kertes, Joseph, 1995. The Gift. Toronto: Groundwood. [children's story]
Kreisel, Henry, 1948. The Rich Man. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Miller, John, 2006. A Sharp Intake of Breath. Toronto: Simon & Pierre / Dundurn.
Plaut, W. Gunther, 1978. Hanging Threads. Stories. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys.
Rakoff, Alvin, 2007. Baldwin Street. New York; Charlottetown: Bunim & Bannigan.
Scheier, Jacob, 2007. More to keep us warm. Toronto: ECW Press. [poetry]
Taylor, Kate, 2003. Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
Torgov, Morley, 1977. The Abramsky Variations. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys.
Torgov, Morley, 1990. St. Farb’s Day. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys.
Tulchinsky, Karen X., 2003. The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky. Vancouver: Polestar / Raincoast.
Weizweig, Helen, 1973. Passing Ceremony. Toronto: Anansi. [Only peripherally set in Toronto; the narrative is essentially psychological.]
Weinzweig, Helen, 1980. Basic Black With Pearls. Toronto: Anansi.
Weinzweig, Helen, 1989. A View from the Roof. Stories. Toronto: Goose Lane.
The Junction
Coburn, Judi, 1998. The Shacklands. Toronto: Sumach.
Green, Terence M., 1999. A Witness to Life. New York: Forge.
Wilson, Carleton, 1999 [reprinted 2002]. Junction Sonnets. Toronto: Junction Books. [Poems about the west Toronto Junction. Winner of the E.J. Pratt Medal in Poetry in 1998.]
Kensington Market
Brand, Dionne, 2005. What We All Long For. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf.
Cowan, Jennifer, 2009. Earthgirl. Toronto: Groundwood. [young adult; a pivotal scene occurs in Kensington Market]
Dearing, Sarah, 2001. Courage My Love. Toronto: Stoddart.
Doctorow, Cory, 2005. Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. New York: Tor. (also available on-line)
Espinet, Ramabai, 1992. The Princess of Spadina. A Tale of Toronto. Toronto: Sister Vision Press. [Children's story about Toronto, Spadina, and Kensington Market. Richly illustrated by Veronica Sullivan.]
Faessler, Shirley, 1979. Everything in the Window. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Faessler, Shirley, 1988. A Basket of Apples and other Stories. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Fagan, Carey, 2000. The Market Wedding. Toronto: Tundra Books. [Children's story set in Kensington Market.]
Jaffe, Ellen S., 2006. Feast of Lights. Toronto: Sumach. [young adult]
Kacer, Kathy, 2003. Home Free. Toronto: Penguin. [children's story; part of the 'Our Canadian Girl' series]
Meyer, Vivian, 2006. Bottom Bracket. Toronto: Sumach.
Pollock, Harry, 1975. Gabriel. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Rakoff, Alvin, 2007. Baldwin Street. New York; Charlottetown: Bunim & Bannigan.
Rosenthal, Joe [images] and Adele Wiseman [text], 1964. Old Markets, New World. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Libraries and Bookstores
Baillie, Martha, 2009. The Incident Report. Toronto: Pedlar Press.
Budde, Rob, 2002. The Dying Poem. Toronto: Coach House.
Cohen, Matt, 1993. The Bookseller. Toronto: Vintage Canada.
Findley, Timothy, 1993. Headhunter. Toronto: Harper Collins Canada.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2010. The Amazing Absorbing Boy.Toronto: Knopf.
Parkdale
Capponi, Pat, 2006. Last Stop Sunnyside. Toronto: Harper Collins Canada.
Capponi, 2008. The Corpse Will Keep. Toronto: Harper Collins.
Clark, Trevor, 1989. Born to Lose. Toronto: ECW.
Cronyn, Hume, ed, 1991. Kiss Me You Mad Fool. Toronto: Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre (PARC).
Dey, Claudia, 2008. Stunt. Toronto: Coach House.
Morey, Mike, 2003. Uncle Dirty. Toronto: Escape Media.
Robertson, Ray, 2005. Gently Down the Stream. Toronto: Cormorant.
Portuguese Experience
De Sa, Anthony, 2008. Barnacle Love. Toronto: Doubleday Canada.
De Vasconcelos, Erika, 1997. My Darling Dead Ones. Toronto: Knopf.
Repo, Satu, 1978. What’s a Friend. Toronto: Lorimer.
Poverty and Homelessness
Bishop-Stall, Shaunessy, 2004. Down to This: Squalor and splendor in a big-city shantytown. Toronto: Random House Canada.
Capponi, Pat, 1992. Upstairs in the Crazy House. Toronto: Viking. (memoir of life as a psychiatric survivor; Capponi is a well-known advocate and writer).
Capponi, Pat, 1997. Dispatches from the Poverty Line. Toronto: Penguin.
Capponi, Pat, 2006. Last Stop Sunnyside. Toronto: Harper Collins Canada. [A Dana Leoni Mystery novel]
Capponi, Pat, 2008. The Corpse Will Keep. Toronto: Harper Collins. [A Dana Leoni Mystery novel]
Dickson, Barry, 1973. Home Safely Home. Toronto: Anansi.
Helwig, Maggie, 2008. Girls Fall Down. Toronto: Coach House.
Papadimos, Basil, 1989. The Hook of it Is. Enismore, Ont.: Emergency Press.
Plantos, Ted, 1977. The Universe Ends at Sherbourne & Queen. Toronto: Steel Rail Publishing.
Scrimger, Richard, 1996. Crosstown. Toronto: The Riverbank Press.
Shields, Carol, 2002. Unless. Toronto: Random House Canada.
Queer
Alland, Sandra, 2007. Blissful Times. Toronto: BookThug. [poetry]
Anderson, Gordon Stewart, 2006. The Toronto You are Leaving. Toronto: Untroubled Heart.
Bartley, Jim, 1999. Stephen and Mr. Wilde. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Blizzard. [play about Oscar Wilde's famous 1882 visit to Toronto ]
Barton, John and Billeh Nickerson, eds., 2007. Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press.
Doctor, Farzana, 2007. Stealing Nasreen. Toronto: Inanna.
Dunford, Warren, 1998. Soon to be a Major Motion Picture. Toronto: The Riverbank Press.
Gilbert, Sky, 2000. Ejaculations from the Charm Factory. Toronto: ECW. [memoir]
Grube, John, 1966. Sunday Afternoon at the Toronto Art Gallery. Fredericton New Brunswick: Fiddlehead.
Grube, John, 1997. I’m Supposed to Be Crazy and Other Stories. Toronto: Dartington Press.
Grube, John, 2002. God, Sex & Poetry. Toronto: Dartington Press.
Hoolboom, Mike, 2008. The Steve Machine. Toronto: Coach House.
Klinck, Todd, 2007. Tacones. Vancouver: Anvil.
Kramer, Greg, 1995. The Pursemonger of Fugu. Toronto: The Riverbank Press.
Kramer, Greg, 1997. Couchwarmer. Toronto: The Riverbank Press.
Kramer, Greg, 1999. Hogtown Bonbons. Toronto: Riverbank Press.
Nason, Jim, 2007. The Housekeeping Journals. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Turnstone Press.
Symons, Scott, 1969. Civic Square. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Wallace, Robert, ed., 1992. Making, Out: Plays by Gay Men. Toronto: Coach House. [plays by David Demchuk, Ken Garnhum, Sky Gilbert, Daniel MacIvor, Harry Rintoul and Colin Thomas]
Whittall, Zoe, 2009. Holding Still for as Long as Possible. Toronto: Anansi.
Ravines and Wild Places
Atwood, Margaret, 1988. Cat’s Eye. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Dewdney, Christopher, 1988. Radiant Inventory. Poems. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Dewdney, Christopher, 2000. Signal Fires. Poems. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Dewdney, Christopher, 2002. The Natural History. Poems. Toronto: ECW.
Helwig, Maggie, 2008. Girls Fall Down. Toronto: Coach House.
Michaels, Anne, 1996. Fugitive Pieces. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Michaels, Anne, 1999. “There is No City that Does Not Dream”, from Skin Divers. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Ondaatje, Michael, 1987. In the Skin of a Lion. Toronto: Vintage.
Quarrington, Paul, 2008. The Ravine.Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Sauriol, Charles, 1981. Remembering the Don. Scarborough: Amethyst.
Sauriol, Charles, 1984. Tales of the Don. Toronto: Natural Heritage / Natural History.
Scrimger, Richard, 2007. Into the Ravine. Toronto: Tundra.
Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1898. Wild Animals I Have Known. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. [See in particular "Silverspot, The Story of a Crow" and "Redruff, the Story of the Don Valley Partridge"]
Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1903. Two Little Savages. Toronto: William Briggs. [Part I is set in a Toronto ravine; presumably the Don Valley]
York, Alissa, 2010. Fauna. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Rochdale
Grieveson, Brian, 1975. Losh. Toronto: Charasee Press. [fiction]
Grieveson, Brian, 1991. Rochdale: Myth & Reality. Hamilton, ON: Charasee Press. [non-fiction]
Heath, Simon (Director), with Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Melissa Good, Ryan Hollyman, Jamie Robinson, Birgitte Solem and Greg Thomas, 2006. The Rochdale Project. Toronto: Theatre Passe Muraille. [play]
Mietkiewicz, Henry and Bob Mackowycz, 1988. Dream Tower: The Life and Legacy of Rochdale College. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. [non-fiction]
Osborne, Ralph, 2003. From Someplace Else: A Memoir. Toronto: ECW Press. [memoir of Rochdale's general manager]
Paci, F.G., 1993. Sex and Character. Ottawa: Oberon. [fiction; 1960s Yorkville/Rochdale]
Sharpe, David, 1987. Rochdale: The Runaway College. Toronto: Anansi. [non-fiction]
Steinbeisser, E. and Elaine Stein, ed., 1971. The Book of Flophouse Poetry. Toronto: Rochdale. [poetry]
Turner, Peter, ed., 1971. There Can Be No Light Without Shadow. Toronto: Rochdale College Publications.
Romance
Aubert, Rosemary, 1985. Firebrand. Toronto: Harlequin. [romance novel set in Toronto]
Marshall, Joyce, 1957. Lovers and Strangers. Philadelphia and New York: Lippincott.
Mlynowski, Sarah, 2002. Milkrun. Toronto: Harlequin / Red Dress Ink.
Mlynowski, Sarah, 2002. Fishbowl. Toronto: Harlequin / Red Dress Ink.
Vizinczey, Stephen, 1965. In Praise of Older Women: The Amorous Recollections of Andras Vajda. London: Barrie & Rockcliff.
Rosedale
Brady, Liz, 2004. See Jane Run. Toronto: Second Story Press. [A Jane Yeats Mystery]
Dunford, Warren, 2001. Making a Killing. Toronto: Penguin (reissued 2005 by Cormorant).
Hood, Hugh, 1973. The Governor’s Bridge is Closed. Essays. Oberon.
Hood, Hugh, 1975. The Swing in the Garden. Toronto: General Publishing. Hugh Hood’s “The New Age / Le Nouvelle Siecle” series consists of twelve novels tracing Ontario life through most of the twentieth century. Toronto appears recurringly in these novels, particularly in The Swing in the Garden (the first), Reservoir Ravine (the second) and Black and White Keys (the fourth). The full set: The Swing in the Garden (1975), A New Athens (1977), Reservoir Ravine (1979), Black and White Keys (1982), The Scenic Art (1984), The Motor Boys in Ottawa (1986), Tony’s Book (1988), Property and Value (1990), Be Sure to Close Your Eyes (1993), Dead Men’s Watches (1995), Great Realizations (1997), and Near Water (2000).
Jarvis, Charlotte Beaumont, 1905. Leaves from Rosedale. Toronto: William Briggs. [poetry] Available electronically here.
Keefer, Janice Kulyk, 1996. The Green Library. Toronto: HarperCollins.
Miller, John, 2002. The Featherbed. Toronto: Simon & Pierre. [fiction]
Moritsugu, Kim, 1996. Looks Perfect. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane Editions.
Moritsugu, Kim, 2003. The Glenwood Treasure. Toronto: Dundurn.
Moss, John, 2008. Still Waters. Toronto: Dundurn. [a Quin and Morgan Mystery]
Ruddy, Jon, 1980. The Rosedale Horror. Markham, ON: Paperjacks.
Sheard, Sarah, 1985. Almost Japanese. Toronto: Coach House.
Wyatt, Rachel, 1977. The Rosedale Hoax. Toronto: Anansi.
Royal Ontario Museum
Atwood, Margaret, 1979. Life Before Man. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Huff, Tanya, 1991. Blood Lines. New York: Daw.
Sawyer, Robert J., 2000. Calculating God. New York: Tor.
Scarborough
Chariandy, David, 2007. Soucouyant. Vancouver: Anvil.
Dryden, Ken, 1993. The Moved and the Shaken. Toronto: Viking Canada.
Ganeshananthan, V.V., 2008. Love Marriage. New York: Random House.
Scrimger, Richard, 2007. Into the Ravine. Toronto: Tundra.
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative Literature
Green, Terence M., 1988. Barking Dogs. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Green, Terence M., 1997. Blue Limbo. New York: Tor.
Hartwell, David G. and Glenn Grant, eds., 1994. Northern Stars: The Anthology of Canadian Science Fiction. New York: Tor.
Hartwell, David. G. and Glenn Grant, eds., 1999. Northern Suns: The New Anthology of Canadian Science Fiction. New York: Tor. [Includes several stories set in Toronto, including Margaret Atwood's "Freeforall", Nalo Hopkinson's "A Habit of Waste" and Cory Doctorow's "Craphound"]
Hopkinson, Nalo, 1998. Brown Girl in the Ring. New York: Warner.
Pederson Chew, Kristen, ed., 2002. The Bakka Anthology. Toronto: Bakka Books. (anthology of stories by science fiction writers who have worked at the Bakka – now Bakka-Phoenix – Bookstore in Toronto.)
Sawyer, Robert J., 2000. Calculating God. New York: Tor. (Parts of Toronto also appear in Sawyer’s other novels, particularly the Hominids series, which features York University, among other places.)
Wilson, Robert Charles, 2000. The Perseids and Other Stories. New York: Tor.
South Asian Diaspora
Alikhan, Mir Raza, 1996. It’s Neither Black Nor White, Charlie Brown. Toronto: India Book Distributors, 1996. [fiction]
Aziz, Nurjehan, ed., 1994. Her Mother’s Ashes: Stories by South Asian Women in Canada and the United States. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Aziz, Nurjehan, ed., 1998. Her Mother’s Ashes: More Stories by South Asian Women in Canada and the United States. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Aziz, Nurjehan, ed., 2009. Her Mother’s Ashes 3: Stories by South Asian Women in Canada and the United States. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Bhaggiyadatta, Krisantha Sri, 1981. Domestic Bliss. Toronto: Is Five Press.
Bhaggiyadatta, Krisantha Sri, 1993. The 52nd State of Amnesia. Toronto: TSAR. [poetry]
Bissoondath, Neil, 1985. Digging Up the Mountain. Stories. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Bissoondath, Neil, 1988. A Casual Brutality. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Bissoondath, Neil, 1990. On the Eve of Uncertain Tomorrows. Stories. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys.
Bissoondath, Neil, 2002. The Innocence of Age. Toronto: Knopf.
Bissoondath, Neil, 2009. The Soul of All Great Designs. Toronto: Cormorant.
Deckha, Nitin, 2008. Shopping for Sabzi. Stories. Toronto: Tsar Books.
Dabydeen, Cyril, 1997. Discussing Columbus. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree Press. [poetry]
Doctor, Farzana, 2007. Stealing Nasreen. Toronto: Inanna.
Espinet, Ramabai, 2003. The Swinging Bridge. Toronto: HarperFlamingo.
Ganeshananthan, V.V., 2008. Love Marriage. New York: Random House.
Jailall, Peter, 1997. Yet Another Home. Poems. Natural Heritage.
McGifford, Diane and Judith Kearns, eds., 1993. Shakti’s Words: An Anthology of South Asian Canadian Women’s Writing. Toronto: TSAR Books. [See selections by Himani Bannerji and Lakshmi Gill, especially.]
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 1995. The Interloper. Fredericton, N.B.: Goose Lane Editions.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 1997. Homer in Flight. Fredericton, N.B.: Goose Lane Editions.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2000. The Lagahoo’s Apprentice. Toronto: Knopf. Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2002. The Book of Ifs and Buts. Toronto: Vintage.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2010. The Amazing Absorbing Boy. Toronto: Knopf.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2010. The Amazing Absorbing Boy. Toronto: Knopf.
Persaud, Sesanarine, 1996. A Surf of Sparrow’s Songs. Toronto: TSAR. [poetry; see e.g., "Under the Weeping Willow at the Morningside Park" and "Another Harbourfront Reading."
Persaud, Sasenarine, 1998. Canada Geese and Apple Chatney. Toronto: TSAR Books. [stories]
Persaud, Sesanarine, 2000. The Hungry Sailor. Toronto: TSAR. [poetry]
Persaud, Sesanarine, 2002. The Wintering Kundalini. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree. [poetry]
Persaud, Sesanarine, 2002. A Writer Like You. Toronto: TSAR. [poetry]
Piepzna-Samarasinha, Leah Lakshmi, 2006. Consensual Genocide. Toronto: Tsar.
Sadiq, Nazneen, 1985. Camels Can Make You Homesick. Toronto: Lorimer.
Sadiq, Nazneen, 1988. Ice Bangles. Toronto: Lorimer.
Singh-Baldwin, Shauna, 1996. English Lessons & Other Stories. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions.
Vassanji, M.G., 1985. A Meeting of Streams: South Asian Canadian Literature. Toronto: TSAR Books.
Vassanji, M.G., 1991. No New Land. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Yalfani, Mehri, 2002. Afsaneh’s Moon. Toronto: McGilligan Books.
Suburbia
Barclay, Linwood, 2004. Bad Move. New York: Bantam.
Barclay, Linwood, 2007. Stone Rain. New York: Bantam.
Berry, Michelle, 2005. Blind Crescent. Toronto: Penguin Canada.
Chariandy, David, 2007. Soucouyant. Vancouver: Anvil.
Dryden, Ken, 1993. The Moved and the Shaken. Toronto: Viking Canada.
Ganeshananthan, V.V., 2008. Love Marriage. New York: Random House.
Garner, Hugh, 1975. Death in Don Mills. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Gowdy, Barbara, 1989. Fallen Angels. Toronto: Random House of Canada.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 1995. The Interloper. Fredericton, N.B.: Goose Lane Editions.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 1997. Homer in Flight. Fredericton, N.B.: Goose Lane Editions.
Maharaj, Rabindranath, 2002. The Book of Ifs and Buts. Toronto: Vintage.
Scrimger, Richard, 2007. Into the Ravine. Toronto: Tundra.
Young, Phyllis Brett, 1960. The Torontonians. Toronto: Longmans, Green & Company. Reissued 2007 by McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Toronto Islands
Anderson, Gordon Stewart, 2006. The Toronto You Are Leaving. Toronto: Untroubled Heart.
Dey, Claudia, 2008. Stunt. Toronto: Coach House.
Hood, Hugh, 1975. The Swing in the Garden. Ottawa: Oberon.
Humphreys, Helen, 1997. Leaving Earth. Toronto: HarperCollins. [fiction]
Ishawaran, Wobine, 2007. The Fly Away Kite: Centre Island Picnic. UK: Authorhouse. [children's book]
Klunder, Barbara W., 2009. The Animals’ Day: An Island Alphabet. Toronto: Groundwood / Anansi. [children's book]
MacEwen, Gwendolyn, 1982. “Animal Syllables.” In Earthlight: Selected Poetry of Gwendolyn MacEwen, 1963-1982. Toronto: General
Murphy, Phil, 1984. Summer Island. Ottawa: Oberon.
Souster, Raymond, [1952] 1980. “Lagoons, Hanlan’s Point.” In Collected Poems of Raymond Souster, Volume One: 1940-55. Ottawa: Oberon.
University of Toronto
Callaghan, Morley, 1948. The Varsity Story. Toronto: Macmillan.
Davies, Robertson, 1981. The Rebel Angels. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Hood, Hugh, 1975. The Swing in the Garden. Toronto: General Publishing. Hugh Hood’s “The New Age / Le Nouvelle Siecle” series consists of twelve novels tracing Ontario life through most of the twentieth century. Toronto appears recurringly in these novels, particularly in The Swing in the Garden (the first), Reservoir Ravine (the second) and Black and White Keys (the fourth). The full set: The Swing in the Garden (1975), A New Athens (1977), Reservoir Ravine (1979), Black and White Keys (1982), The Scenic Art (1984), The Motor Boys in Ottawa (1986), Tony’s Book (1988), Property & Value (1990), Be Sure to Close Your Eyes (1993), Dead Men’s Watches (1995), Great Realizations (1997), and Near Water (2000).
MacLeod, Jack, 2008. Uproar. Erin, ON: Porcupine’s Quill. [fiction]
Yorkville
Dearing, Sarah, 2001. Courage My Love. Toronto: Stoddart.
Denoon, Anne, 2002. Back Flip. Erin, Ontario: Porcupine’s Quill.
Duval, Paul, 2000. Berryman Street Boy: Growing Up in Yorkville. Whitby, ON: Von Lotz. [Noted Canadian art critic Paul Duval's memoir of growing up in Depression-era Yorkville. The book includes many sketches and watercolours of Toronto scenes, including the Don Valley Brick Works and the city's waterfront.]
Hefron, Dorris, 1971. A Nice Fire and Some Moonpennies. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
Lyons, Don, 1984. Yorkville Diaries. Toronto: Elephant Press.
Miller, Jeffrey, 2005. Murder’s Out of Tune. Toronto: ECW Press.
Paci, F.G., 1993. Sex and Character. Ottawa: Oberon. [fiction; 1960s Yorkville/Rochdale]
Pollock, Jack, 1989. Dear M: Letters from a Gentleman of Excess. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. [letters written by a prominent Toronto art dealer]
Reid, John, 1975. The Faithless Mirror. Toronto: Darkwood Press.
Robertson, Ray, 2002. Moody Food. Doubleday.
Satyrday: The Village Magazine. [published circa 1965-1970 +/-]
York University
Gibson, Brian, 2004. Bleeding Daylight. Thornhill, Ontario: Oubliette Press. [York University is featured prominently in this novel.]
Huff, Tanya, 1991. Blood Price. New York: Daw. [a York student summons a demon to boost his social and sexual standing. A campus pub and a Shoreham Drive residence feature prominently in this novel.]
Layton, Irving, 1973. “York University.” In Lovers and Lesser Men. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Ricci, Nino, 1995. In a Glass House. The follow-up to Ricci’s Lives of the Saints (1990); the trilogy concludes with Where Has She Gone (1997). The second and third volumes focus on Victor’s progress through undergraduate and graduate studies in Toronto, punctuated by returns to Italy and elsewhere. York University appears in In a Glass House as “Centennial University” (see chapters 18-20).