Canadian Battle Series Wins Governor General Award

Military history brought to life for future generations by award winning author on quest to recognize Canada’s contribution to the Second World War conflicts.

Mark Zuehlke, author of the Canadian Battle Series, is the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Pierre Berton: Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media. The award, given by the Canada’s History Society, celebrates writers who bring Canadian history to a wider audience. Zuehlke will receive the award, including a $5,000 prize, from His Excellency David Johnston, Governor General of Canada on November 3, 2014 Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

According to Zuehlke the Canadian Battle Series of books, which is published by independent Canadian publisher Douglas & McIntyre, is the most detailed account of any army during the Second World War written by a single author. The bestselling series continues to confirm Zuehlke’s reputation as one of the nation’s leading popular military historians. “I tend to write in the narrative style of Pierre Burton and I’m often compared to him,” said Zuehlke. He was runner up for the Popular Media Award in 2013. “The award acknowledges all I have done in relation to Canadian history.”

Late October 2014, the eleventh volume in the series is due to be released. Forgotten Victory: First Canadian Army and the Cruel Winter of 1944-45 relates the untold story of how the Canadian Army, through an attack against the Rhineland, paved the way for Allied victory in Europe in the Second World War. Despite Canada’s involvement in this important turning point in the war, the Rhineland Campaign figures little in Canadian memory of the Second World War. In Forgotten Victory, Zuehlke seeks to redress this historical oversight. “I saw the story of the Canadian Army’s involvement in WWII and I saw it hadn’t been told. This part of history defined a generation. Canada needed this story.”

Also an award winning mystery writer, Zuehlke’s popular Elias McCann series has garnered critical praise in Canada and abroad. Set in the west Vancouver Island village,Tofino the series follows the reluctant community coroner Elias McCann. Hands Like Clouds, the debut in the series, won the Crime Writer’s of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for the 2000 Best First Novel, and the third instalment, Sweep Lotus, was nominated for the 2004 Arthur Ellis Best Novel. “There are a couple of Canadian history books I have written that are a fast read. Great for teens. We call them Rapid Reads. If your child is interested in Canadian history

Zuehlke a resident of Victoria, British Columbia, was educated as a historian, worked as a journalist, and now writes award-winning fiction and history. In 2006, his Canadian Battle Series book Holding Juno won the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. He has also written six historical works outside of the series, including For Honour’s Sake, which won the 2007 Canadian Author’s Association Lela Common Award for Canadian History.

To learn more about Mark please visit http://www.zuehlke.ca
For more information about the Pierre Berton Award and the Canada’s History Forum, visit www.canadashistory.ca.