Obit. notice by Andrea Deakin:
Sheldon Oberman, the Winnipeg writer, has died at the age of 54. He studied English Literature at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Jerusalem, and began his writing career in the 70's. From that time he taught drama and English, travelling as a storyteller across North America.Amongst other works he wrote a dozen children's books, winning the Leipzig International Book Fair silver medal in 1991 for "The Lion in the Lake". His best known and loved book,"The Always Prayer Shawl", was a study of the importance of tradition. It won the National Jewish Book Award. During travels in the Northwest Territories, Sheldon Oberman met Tookoome, an Inuit elder and storyteller. The two bonded, linked by the stortelling tradition, even though Tookoome spoke no English. The elder's daughter, however, could translate and asked Oberman to write a book so that Tookoome's life and stories should not be lost. "The Shaman's Nephew:A Life in the Far North" was short-listed for the Governor-General's Award in 2000, and won the Norma Fleck Award that year.
