George Ryga (1932-1987), was the author of many novels, songs and plays for radio, television and the stage. He and his wife, Norma, moved from Edmonton to Summerland in the early 1960s, and all their children grew up and went to school here: Leslie, Tanya, Campbell, Sergei and Jamie. It was here in Summerland that George wrote most of his plays, novels, screenplays and poetry.
A common theme runs throughout George Ryga’s novels, plays and stories. He wrote about people on the margins of society: poor farmers, immigrants and First Nations among whom he grew up. He gave voice to labourers, hippies, visionaries, and struggling artists. Ryga always wrote with a purpose, and fought to establish a distinctly Canadian culture. He pushed the boundaries of how stories are told and the characters on whom those stories focused. His words resonate with readers and audiences as far away as Japan, Russia, Germany, Cuba and many other places. By the time he died, at the early age of 55, George Ryga was as well-known internationally as he was in Canada.
The Ryga Arts Festival, now in its tenth year, celebrates not only George Ryga but the works of Canadian artists in any medium who embody his struggles, his values and his spirit.
Song of My Hands (Poem) - 1956
Indian - 1961
Ecstasy of Rita Joe - 1967
Grass and Wild Strawberries - 1968
Captives of the Faceless Drummer – 1971
Sunrise on Sarah – 1972
Portrait of Angelica – 1973
Ploughmen of the Glacier – 1977
In the Shadow of the Vulture – 1985
Paracelsus – 1986
Summerland – 1992