Brian Francis
Brian Francis (born 1971) is a Canadian writer. His 2004 novel Fruit was selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by novelist and CBC Radio One personality Jen Sookfong Lee.[1] It finished the competition as the runner-up, making the last vote against the eventual winner, Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes.
Published in Canada by ECW Press and released on May 4, 2004, Fruit is the story of Peter Paddington, a teenager living in Sarnia. Overweight, gay and a social outsider, Paddington regularly retreats into an active fantasy life which includes his own nipples talking to him, and the novel traces his journey toward self-acceptance.[1]
The novel was published in paperback format in the United States by Harper Perennial on August 2, 2005 under the title The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington.[2]
The novel was well received by critics, with Entertainment Weekly referring to it as "sweet, tart, and forbidden in all the right places."[3]
Francis' second novel, Natural Order, published by Doubleday Canada, was released on August 23, 2011. The novel tells the story of a mother coming to terms with the death of her adult son.[4]
Natural Order was positively reviewed by critics and made Best Books of 2011 lists for the Toronto Star[5] and The Georgia Straight.[6] The novel was short-listed for the Ontario Library Association's 2012 Evergreen Award[7] and 2012 CBC Bookie Awards.[8] Natural Order was designated a Top 40 selection for Canada Reads 2014.[9]
He was awarded an Honour of Distinction citation by the Writers' Trust of Canada's Dayne Ogilvie Grant, a literary award for emerging LGBT writers in Canada, in 2008. In 2010, he served on the Dayne Ogilvie Prize jury, selecting Nancy Jo Cullen as that year's prize winner.[10]
In 2011, Francis created Caker Cooking, a weekly humour blog featuring “the best of the worst of mangicake cuisine.”[11]
Francis, who is gay,[12] has also worked for the Toronto publications Xtra! and NOW.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Jen Sookfong Lee, Canada Reads panellist", CBC
- ↑ "Brian Francis, Canada Reads author", CBC
- ↑ "Review", Entertainment Weekly
- ↑ Random House
- ↑ "Our reviewers’ Top 100 books of 2011. What’s yours?", Toronto Star
- ↑ "Critics make year-end book picks", The Georgia Straight
- ↑ "OLA announces 2012 Evergreen Award shortlist", Quill & Quire
- ↑ "The second annual CBC Bookie Awards!", CBC
- ↑ "Canada Reads Top 40: Vote for the Top 10", CBC
- ↑ "Writer Nancy Jo Cullen is a rising talent", Xtra!, September 9, 2010.
- ↑ "Tater tots, Tang, and potato chip casserole: Brian Francis, Caker Cooking", CBC, December 13, 2013
- ↑ "Pulpy, fleshy difference", Xtra!, July 22, 2004.
External links
- Brian Francis Official website
- Caker Cooking Humour blog