George Ryga

George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is The Ecstasy of Rita Joe.

Early years Ryga was born in Deep Creek near Athabasca, Alberta to poor Ukrainian immigrant parents. Unable to continue his schooling past grade six, he worked at a variety of jobs, including radio copywriter. Ryga continued to study, taking correspondence courses, and winning a scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1955, he traveled to Europe, where he attended the World Assembly for Peace in Helsinki and worked for the BBC. The following year he returned to Canada.

Career While living in Edmonton, he published his first book, Song of My Hands (1956), a collection of poems.

Ryga's first play, Indian, was performed on television in 1961. He achieved national exposure with The Ecstasy of Rita Joe in 1967. The work, considered by many to be the most important English-language play by a Canadian playwright, is the story of a young native woman arriving in the city who finds that she has no place with either her own people or the white man. It was performed in Vancouver, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and in Washington state. In 1971, the work was performed as a ballet by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Recognition A biography, The Ecstasy of Resistance, by James Hoffman, was published in 1995.

Since 2004, the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature has been presented to a British Columbian writer who has published a book with significant social themes. The 2021 recipient was Geoff Mynett.

A wall plaque to commemorate George Ryga was installed in the newly-opened Summerland Library in October of 2015. In 2016 the Ryga Arts Festival, inspired by George Ryga, was started in Summerland and has continued through 2026. In 2020, a George Ryga archive was established at the Summerland Museum.