Joseph Boyden
| Joseph Boyden | |
|---|---|
 Joseph Boyden - Comédie du Livre 2010 | |
| Born |
Joseph Boyden October 31, 1966 Willowdale, North York, Ontario |
| Occupation | professor, novelist and short story writer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Brebeuf College School; York University, University of New Orleans |
| Genres | historical fiction, First Nations heritage and culture |
| Notable work(s) | Three Day Road; Through Black Spruce |
Joseph Boyden (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Life and career
Boyden grew up in Willowdale, North York, Ontario and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School. Boyden's father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the most highly decorated medical officer of World War II.[1]
Of Irish, Scottish and Anishinaabe heritage, Boyden writes about First Nations heritage and culture. Three Day Road, a novel about two Cree soldiers serving in the Canadian military during World War I, is inspired by Ojibwa Francis Pegahmagabow, the legendary First World War sniper. Boyden's second novel, Through Black Spruce follows the story of Will, son of one of the characters in Three Day Road. He has indicated in interviews that the titles are part of a planned trilogy, the third of which is forthcoming.[2]
Boyden studied creative writing at York University and the University of New Orleans, and subsequently taught in the Aboriginal Student Program at Northern College. He is currently a Lecturer with the UBC Creative Writing Program. He divides his time between Louisiana, where he and his wife, Amanda Boyden, are writers in residence,[3] and Northern Ontario.
Awards
His debut novel, Three Day Road, won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize in 2006, and was a nominee for the 2005 Governor General's Awards. It previously won the inaugural McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award. Three Day Road was chosen for inclusion in Canada Reads 2006, where it was championed by filmmaker Nelofer Pazira.
His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.[4][5]
His third novel, "The Orenda", was on the longlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2013.
In 2009, Boyden was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) from Nipissing University.[6] In 2013, Boyden was awarded an honorary degree from Algoma University.[7]
Bibliography
Novels
- Three Day Road. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2005. (winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award)
- Through Black Spruce. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008. (winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, November 2008)
- The Orenda. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2013. (longlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize, shortlisted nominee for the 2013 Governor General's Award for English fiction.)
Short stories
- Born With a Tooth Toronto: Cormorant Books, 2001.
Non-fiction
- From Mushkegowuk to New Orleans: A Mixed Blood Highway. Edmonton: NeWest, 2008.
- Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont. Penguin, 2010.
References
- ↑ Author Profile: Joseph Boyden in Quill & Quire.
- ↑ "Joseph Boyden talks about winning the Giller Prize", National Post, November 12, 2008.
- ↑ "What's their story?". CBC News. September 29, 2008.
- ↑ "Boyden wins literature's Giller", The Globe and Mail, November 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Joseph Boyden wins $50K Giller Prize Author vows to 'always write about the First Nations'". CBC News. November 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ↑ http://www.nipissingu.ca/departments/presidents-office/honorary_degree/Pages/default.aspx
- ↑ http://www.algomau.ca/newsevents/news/name,3712,en.html#.UbOyuJVIje4
| |||||
|