Since Epps's first book appeared on the Canadian literary scene, he has been recognized as a writer of talent. His novel Pilgarlic the Death (1967) and his documentary fiction. The Outlaw of Megantic (1973), reveal his skill as a storyteller who is aware of the imaginative force of legend and the mythic power of narrative. In style, voice, and fictional mode, as well as in theme, he has much in common with contemporary writers such as Robert Kroetsch and Jack Hodgins.

Epps was born in Kent, England, and immigrated to Ohio with his parents, Ernest and Lilian Bradshaw Epps, in 1950. A gardener in England, his father took up farming in the United States and later Canada. Bernard Epps served an apprenticeship as a draftsman in Columbus, Ohio, after graduating from high school in 1953, and then spent two years at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Since moving to...