Ellen Seligman, "one of the most influential and exacting editors in Canadian literary history, whose judicious judgment helped shape the work of generations of Canadian writers," died March 25, the Globe & Mail reported. American by birth, Seligman moved to Canada in 1976 and joined McClelland & Stewart the following year. She remained with the company for the next four decades, becoming editorial director of fiction in 1987 and publisher in 2000.
Prominent authors Seligman worked with included Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry, Jane Urquhart and Guy Vanderhaeghe. Books she edited won 23 Governor-General's Literary Awards, four Man Booker Prizes and six Scotiabank Giller Prizes.
"Though we are in the business of words, I find it next to impossible to express the grief I know we all feel with the loss of this incomparable woman," wrote Kristin Cochrane, president and publisher of Penguin Random House Canada, in a statement. "But while we mourn, we also celebrate Ellen's momentous career and all she achieved in her close to four decades at McClelland & Stewart.... Beyond our borders, Ellen was widely recognized as one of the world's best editors, with impeccable literary taste and instincts."
Margaret Atwood, who worked with Seligman for more than 25 years, described her as "a consummate editor: she read in depth and on many levels. For me, she was one of those 'Dear Readers' whose opinion was intensely important to me. Luckily she had a sense of humor, and I would always feel I'd hit the target when I made Ellen laugh. She was a bright light, a warm soul, and a kindly helper to very many, and she will be profoundly missed."