Allan Thompson visits with Nobel Laureate Alice Munro in Clinton

The famously-private Alice Munro welcomed Huron-Bruce federal Liberal candidate Allan Thompson into her Clinton home Sunday afternoon and spent close to an hour around the kitchen table, chatting about politics, writing and other topics.

Thompson, a former Toronto Star journalist, described the remarkable meeting with the Nobel Laureate in an entry in his campaign blog, ALLAN2015.com.

“I had a magical visit this afternoon with Nobel Laureate Alice Munro at her home in Clinton. She was elegant, funny and most of all, warm and welcoming,” Thompson wrote. “As someone who has made his career as a writer, it is, ironically, a bit hard for me to put into words what it meant to spend an hour or so with the master of the short story and in my view,
the world’s best living writer. And to be honest, I’m still a bit surprised that the famously-private Munro agreed to meet me at all, so my inclination is not to go into too much detail about our conversation.”

Thompson did say that he and the 83-year-old Munro discussed writing, journalism today, her Nobel prize, the Rwanda genocide, Canadian politics and a number of other things.

He also stressed in his blog that while he and Munro did talk about politics and his bid to become the next MP in Huron-Bruce, out of respect for her much-cherished privacy, he would not publicize her political views and did not ask her to formally endorse his candidacy.

“For those who will inevitably wonder, yes, I did tell the most famous resident of Huron-Bruce all about my plunge into politics,” Thompson wrote in his blog. “And yes, I did ask for her vote. But out of respect for her privacy, I’m not going to share her political views and did not ask her to publicly endorse my candidacy.”

Munro, who was born in Wingham and spends most of her time between Clinton and a home in Victoria, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. She is widely regarded as the master of the contemporary short story and most of her legendary fiction is set in her native Huron County.

In 2009, she indicated that she’d received treatment for cancer and had also undergone coronary-artery bypass surgery. She declined to attend the ceremony in Oslo to receive her Nobel, citing ill health and announced that year that she had retired from writing.

Her time in Clinton has allowed her to maintain her privacy, despite her international fame.

Thompson made a point of asking Munro for her permission to post photographs and a description of their meeting on-line.

“She joked that as long as no one was putting her name on the ballot, that would it be fine with her,’’ Thompson said.

Thompson, 51, a journalism professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University, is a former political reporter for the Toronto Star. He went to school at Bruce Township Central Public in Underwood and Walkerton District Secondary School and began his journalism career as a reporter with the Kincardine Independent and Teeswater News.

He is committed to building the rural economy in Huron-Bruce and becoming a strong voice for farmers, as well as those who live in the riding’s small towns and surrounding areas. He also feels strongly about the role that the arts can play in Huron-Bruce.

Thompson believes that his farm upbringing combined with his deep knowledge of how Ottawa works, will help him to bridge the rural-urban gap. He is also committed to looking for ways to make settling down in the region a more viable option for young people who are drawn away to seek schooling and job opportunities.



Alice Munro (L) poses with Allan Thompson, federal Liberal candidate for Huron-Bruce; photo by Allan Thompson