Sandra Djwa is professor emeritus of English at Simon Fraser University, and the prize-winning author of The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F.R. Scott and Professing English: A Life of Roy Daniells.

• Figures ∙ ixPreface ∙ xi1 A Newfoundland Girl (1939–56) ∙ 32 “Up Along” to Canada (1956–62) ∙ 233 Getting an Education (1962–68) ∙ 444 “You’ve Got It All” (1968–74) ∙ 685 A Woman, a Canadian, and a Canadianist (1974–79) ∙ 936 F.R. Scott: “I’m Bio, You’re Graphy” (1975–87) ∙ 1177 “Why Me?” (1980–90) ∙ 1418 Roy Daniells: The Way It Was (1990–2002) ∙ 1639 P.K. Page: Backtracking a Life (1997–2013) ∙ 18710 A Place to Stand On (2013–24) ∙ 209Acknowledgments ∙ 233Notes ∙ 237Index ∙ 255

“In one generation Sandra Djwa journeys from a time when Canadian culture was constrained by a colonial cringe to a moment when Canadian writing is celebrated internationally. Djwa and her contemporaries fought hard to achieve this. As a bonus she speaks eloquently about the fascinating detective work biography entails.” – Rosemary Sullivan, author of The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation “The birth of Canadian studies and the entry of women into academia are vital developments at the heart of this highly readable literary autobiography. An acclaimed scholar at the centre of monumental change in the world of scholarship and a highly respected biographer of unquestionably influential figures, Sandra Djwa has written her own story with both ease and sophistication.” – Hugh Johnston, Simon Fraser University “One of Canada’s pre-eminent biographers and literary historians, Sandra Djwa turns the lens on her own groundbreaking life with this immensely readable coast-to-coast memoir. It’s a front-row seat on the development of CanLit and Canadian studies, a reflection on the art and forensics of literary biography, and a testament to the energy and initiative of her generation of gutsy academic women.” – Heather Murray, University of Toronto “Sandra Djwa’s autobiography, Ground to Stand On: A Canadian Literary Life, is like an in-depth conversation with a brilliant, accomplished new friend. Women like myself who entered higher education in the 1960s and 1970s will identify with her struggles in male-dominated academia, and her experiences with American professors who viewed Canada as second-rate.” - Ruth Latta, Compulsive Reader