David French was one of Canada''s best-known and critically acclaimed playwrights. He was one of the first inductees into the Newfoundland Arts Hall of Honour, and was an Officer of the Order of Canada. Among his most beloved works are the semi-autobiographical Mercer plays: Leaving Home, Of the Fields, Lately, Salt-Water Moon, 1949, and Soldier''s Heart. Leaving Home was named one of Canada''s 100 Most Influential Books by the Literary Review of Canada and one of the 1,000 Most Essential Plays in the English Language by the Oxford Dictionary of Theatre. The Mercer plays have touched audiences across North America, and in Europe, South America, and Australia. David French died in 2010.