Erna Paris CM is a Canadian non-fiction author born in Toronto.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in Honours Philosophy and English, Paris moved to France for several years, where she continued her studies at the Sorbonne. She began her writing career in the 1970s as a magazine journalist and radio broadcaster/documentarist.
Paris is the author of seven books and the winner of twelve national and international prizes for her books, journalism, and radio documentaries. She is a frequent contributor to the opinion page of the Globe and Mail.
She lives in Toronto with her husband Thomas M. Robinson, professor emeritus of Ancient Greek Philosophy and Classics at the University of Toronto. She has a daughter, Michelle, and a son, Roland.
Awards and recognition
1970: Winner, Media Club of Canada, feature writing
1973: Winner, Media Club of Canada, radio documentary
1974: Winner, Media Club of Canada, feature writing
1974: Winner, Media Club of Canada, radio documentary
1981-2001, Now magazine Best Books, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
1983: Winner, Gold Medal, National Magazine Awards
1990: Best Canadian Essays, Fifth House Press, The Boat People
1991: Winner, Bronze Medal The White Award, North America City and Regional Magazine Competition, The Boat People
1995: Winner, Year-End Best Books, Quill & Quire, The End of Days: Tolerance, Tyranny and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain
1996: Winner, Canadian Jewish Book Awards, History, The End of Days: Tolerance, Tyranny and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain
2000: Globe and Mail Best Books, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2001: Winner, Pearson Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2001: Winner, Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2001: Winner, Dorothy Shoichet Prize for History, Canadian Jewish Book Awards, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2001: The Christian Science Monitor Best Books, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2001: New Statesman Best Books, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History
2002: Visiting Fellow, International Affairs Program, University of Colorado Boulder
2003: "The Presence of Excellence/ Vingt-Cinq Ans d'Excellence: Twenty-Five Years of Selections from the National Magazine Awards", National Magazine Awards Foundation
2005: "The 100 Most Important Canadian Books Ever Written" (1535-2004): Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History, The Literary Review of Canada
2008: The Globe and Mail Best Books, "The Sun Climbs Slow: Justice in the Age of Imperial America"
2008-2009: Vice Chair, Writers' Union of Canada
2009: Short-List, Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, "The Sun Climbs Slow: Justice in the Age of Imperial America"
2009: "Decade in Review: Top 10 Canadian Books", "Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History," Now magazine
2009: Appointed, Honorary Council, Canadian Centre for International Justice, Ottawa
2009-2010: Chair, Writers' Union of Canada
2011: "Canada's Twenty-Five Most Influential Books of Nonfiction", "Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History", selected by the shortlisted authors for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction
2012: World Federalist Movement-Canada World Peace Award
2012: Winner, Silver Medal, National Magazine Awards
2014: "2014 Alumni of Influence", University College, University of Toronto
2015: Appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada
