Ian McLachlan (writer)

Ian McLachlan is a Canadian writer and academic who lives in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Best known for his novel The Seventh Hexagram, which was co-winner with Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter of the inaugural Books in Canada First Novel Award in 1976[1] and a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 1976 Governor General's Awards.[2]

After earning a Master of Arts at Oxford University in 1960,[3] McLachlan established the department of comparative literature at the University of Hong Kong before joining the faculty of Trent University in 1970.[3] Before his retirement, McLachlan served as the chair of Cultural Studies department for over 14 years. After The Seventh Hexagram, he published a second novel, Helen in Exile, in 1980.[4]

He has been a prominent figure in the arts and culture of Peterborough, Ontario.[3] His activities have included founding the local publishing company Ordinary Press,[3] serving on the boards of the city's Artspace and Union Theatre,[3] and founding and programming for the Canadian Images Film Festival.[3] With the film festival, he was fined in 1983 for screening A Message from Our Sponsor, a documentary film about subliminal advertising, without approval from the Ontario Censor Board.[5]

As a playwright, his works have included Pioneer Chainsaw Massacre, Postscript, Lear One/One, Frankenstein Meets the Recession, The Orchard,[6] Doctor Barnardo's Children[7] and Wounded Soldiers.[7] His non-fiction works have included Shanghai 1949 and In the Margins of the Empire: Reading Cambodia.