Frances Itani

Frances Susan Itani (born 25 August 1942) is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist.

Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by W. O. Mitchell, she decided to change careers.

Itani has published ten books, ranging from fiction and poetry to a children's book. Her 2003 novel Deafening won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, Caribbean and Canada region, and has been published in 16 countries.

Awards and recognition

• Canadian Fiction magazine, best short story, "After the Rain," 1987.
• Ottawa-Carleton Book Award (Fiction) for Man Without Face, 1994.
• Drummer General's Award for fiction, Deafening, 2003.
• 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Caribbean & Canada region), Deafening.
• Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Literary Prize, Deafening, 2005.
• Shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Deafening.
• Deafening was chosen for the inclusion in Canada Reads 2006, championed by lawyer and author Maureen McTeer.
• Une coquille de silence, the French-language translation of Deafening, was chosen for inclusion in Le combat des livres 2006, where it was also championed by McTeer.

Selected bibliography

• Linger By the Sea — 1979
• A Season of Mourning — 1988
• Pack Ice and Truth or Lies — 1989
• Man Without Face — 1994
• Leaning, Leaning Over Water — 1998
• Deafening — 2003
• Poached Egg on Toast — 2004
• Remembering The Bones — 2007
• Requiem — 2011

External links

• Biography at Canada Reads