Cary Fagan

Cary Fagan (born 1957) is a Canadian writer who has published novels, short stories and books for children. His widely praised adult novel, A Bird's Eye, was shortlisted for the 2013 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Previously, his novel Valentine's Fall was nominated for the 2010 Toronto Book Award.^[1] Since publishing his first original children's book in 2001, he has published 21 children's titles.^[2]

Personal life

Cary Fagan was born in 1957 in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up in the Toronto suburbs and attended the University of Toronto, graduating with a degree in English and winning eight student awards.^[3] He has lived for short periods in London and New York City, and now lives in Toronto He is married to Rebecca Comay, a member of the philosophy department at the University of Toronto. He has two daughters and two step-sons. Along with Bernard Kelly, he co-publishes and edits the small press, paperplates books.^[4]

Prizes and honours

1990 Finalist, Toronto Book Awards (for City Hall and Mrs. God)
1994 Jewish Book Award for Fiction (for The Animals' Waltz)
2000 Sydney Taylor Honor Book (U.S.) (for The Market Wedding)
2004 World Storytelling Award (U.S.) (for The Market Wedding)
2004 Silver Birch Award Honour Book (for The Fortress of Kaspar Snit)
2008 Finalist, TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award (for Thing-Thing)
2008 Silver Birch Express Award Honour Book (for Ten Lessons for Kaspar Snit)
2008 Finalist, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award (for Thing-Thing)
2009 Quill & Quire Book of the Year (for Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas)
2010 Finalist, Toronto Book Awards (for Valentine's Fall)
2012 Longlisted, Scotiabank Giller Prize (for My Life Among the Apes)
2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award (for Mr. Zinger's Hat)
2013 Finalist, Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize (for "A Bird's Eye")
2014 Vicki Metalf Award For Children's Literature (for body of work)

Bibliography

Novels

The Animals' Waltz: A Novel (1994) Lester & Orpen Dennys
Sleeping Weather (1997) Porcupine's Quill
Felix Roth (1999) Stoddart Books
The Mermaid of Paris (2003) Key Porter Books
Valentine's Fall (2010) Cormorant Books
A Bird's Eye (2013) House of Anansi

Children's fiction

Gogol's Coat (1999) Tundra Books
The Market Wedding (2000) Tundra Books
Daughter of the Great Zandini (2001) Tundra Books
Beyond the Dance: A Ballerina's Life (with Chan Hon Goh) (2002) Tundra Books
The Fortress of Kaspar Snit (2004) Tundra Books
Ten Old Men and a Mouse (2007) Tundra Books
My New Shirt (2007) Tundra Books
Directed by Kaspar Snit (2007) Tundra Books
Mr. Karp's Last Glass (2007) Tundra Books
Ten Lessons for Kaspar Snit (2008) Tundra Books
Thing-Thing (2008) Tundra Books
Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas (2009) Tundra Books
Book of Big Brothers (2010) Groundwood Books
The Big Swim (2010) Groundwood Books
Banjo of Destiny (2011) Groundwood Books
Ella May and the Wishing Stone (2011) Tundra Books
Mr. Zinger's Hat (2012) Tundra Books
"The Boy in the Box" (Book one of "Master Melville's Medicine Show") (2012) Penguin Canada
"Danny, Who Fell in a Hole" (2013) Groundwood Books
"Oy, Feh, So" (2013) Groundwood Books
"I Wish I Could Draw" (2014) Groundwood Books

Short stories

History Lessons (1990) Hounslow
The Little Black Dress (1993) Mercury Press
The Doctor’s House and other Fiction" (2000) Stoddart
My Life Among the Apes (2012) Cormorant

Non-fiction

City Hall and Mrs. God: A Passionate Journey Through a Changing Toronto (1990) Mercury Press