“Beginning with her brilliant story collection Women and Children, published 30 years ago, and proceeding through two more fine story collections and a novel, Elisabeth Harvor has produced a body of fiction that is crystal clear, poetic, and courageous. A beautiful writer who doesn’t shy from ugly truths, she explores the near limits of desperation and the far fields of childhood in stories that are fresh, uncomfortable, and risky. In the process she has become a master at charting the ills of body and soul and the movement from innocence to experience. This award celebrates her perseverance and her artistry.”
— 2003 Marian Engel Award Jury (Terry Griggs, Elizabeth Hay, and Alistair MacLeod)