Anosh Irani (born 1974) is an

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Cana ...

novelist and playwright, born and raised in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Education

From 1998, Irani attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

and received his bachelor's degree in creative writing in 2002. He has since taught creative writing at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

and

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. In September 2014, Irani was the writer-in-residence at Simon Fraser University in the world literature department.

Career

After working in advertising in India, he moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1998 to study and pursue writing. His first full-length play, '' The Matka King'', premiered in October 2003 at the

Arts Club Theatre Company The Arts Club Theatre Company is a Canadian professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 1958. It is the largest urban not-for-profit theatre company in the country and the largest in Western Canada, with productions tak ...

in Vancouver. His play, ''Bombay Black'', won four

Dora Awards The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped es ...

, including Outstanding New Play. Irani was also featured in ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'' as one of a handful of young Canadian "writers to watch." He published his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''The Cripple and His Talismans'', in 2004. Irani's second novel, ''

The Song of Kahunsha ''The Song of Kahunsha'' () is a novel by the Indian-Canadian novelist and playwright Anosh Irani, published in 2006 by Doubleday Canada and in 2007 in the US by Milkweed Editions. Set against the backdrop of the racial violence that engulfed th ...

'', was chosen as a CBC Book Club One pick, and selected for the 2007 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

''. His third novel, ''

Dahanu Road Dahanu Road is a railway station near the town of Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra. It lies on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It is the northern limit of the Suburban network, although the track continues north ...

'', was published in 2010. His fourth, ''The Parcel'', was published in 2016 and was shortlisted for that year's

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

and

Governor General's Award for English-language fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English."Governor-General’s Literary Award short list a serious case of déjà vu"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', 4 October 2016. His play '' My Granny the Goldfish'' premiered at The Revue Stage in Vancouver on 16 April 2010. His play ''The Men in White'' was shortlisted for the

Governor General's Award for English-language drama The Governor General's Award for English-language drama honours excellence in Canadian English-language playwriting. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry or drama was divided. Because the awar ...

at the 2018 Governor General's Awards.

Works

* ''The Matka King'' (2003, play) * ''The Cripple and His Talismans'' (2004, novel) , Raincoast Books * ''

'' (2006, novel) , Anchor Canada * ''Bombay Black'' (2006, play) * ''Dahanu Road'' (2010, novel) , Doubleday Canada * ''My Granny the Goldfish'' (2010, play) * ''The Parcel'' (2016, novel) * ''Swimming coach.'' In

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

# 141, ''Canada,'' 2017, pp 123 – 135

References

External links

Anosh Irani's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irani, Anosh 1974 births Living people Canadian male novelists 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian novelists Dora Mavor Moore Award winners Indian male novelists Indian male dramatists and playwrights Writers from Mumbai Writers from Vancouver Indian emigrants to Canada Irani people Canadian writers of Asian descent Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male writers