Alan Cumyn (born 8 January 1960) is a Canadian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

who lives in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Biography

Born in

, Alan Cumyn studied at

Royal Roads Military College Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) was a Canadian military college from 1940 to 1995, located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia, near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility now serves as the campus of Royal Roads University, a ...

in 1983, and Queen's University before earning an M.A. in Creative Writing and English Literature at the

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public universit ...

. Alan Cumyn's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

He has lived across Canada and in China and Indonesia, and worked variously as a geologist's assistant, group home manager, tai chi instructor, English teacher, program officer in international development, human rights researcher and freelance writer. Cumyn's fiction focuses on personal and political relations, often in a cross-cultural context. He now lives in Ottawa with his wife and two daughters. In 2016 he won the

Writers' Trust of Canada The Writers' Trust of Canada (french: La Société d'encouragement aux écrivains du Canada) is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers. Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laure ...

Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People The Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, colloquially called the Vicky, is given annually at the Writers' Trust Awards to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth". It is a top honour for ...

for his body of work.

Works

*''Waiting for Li Ming'' - 1993 *''Between Families and the Sky'' - 1995 *''Man of Bone'' - 1998 - (Winner of the

Ottawa Book Award Ottawa Book Award and Prix du livre d'Ottawa is a Canadian literary award presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written in the previous year by a living author residing in Ottawa.

) *''Burridge Unbound'' - 2000 - shortlisted for the 2000

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

*''Losing It'' - 2001 *''The Secret Life of Owen Skye'' - 2002 (Received a Mr. Christie's Book Award; nominated for a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

) *''The Sojourn'' - 2003 *''After Sylvia'' - 2004 (Nominated for the 2005 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award) *''The Famished Lover'' - 2006 (longlisted for the

) *''Dear Sylvia'' - 2008 (Winner 2009 Silver Birch Express Award; short-listed Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children) *''Tilt'' - 2011 (selected by the Junior Library Guild as one of the best young adult novels of 2011) *''Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend'' - 2016 *''North to Benjamin'' - 2018 (Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title)

References

* W. H. New, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. * Author's Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20110903150747/http://www.alancumyn.com/acumyn.html (as of September 3, 2011)

External links

Online interview from CBC Words at Large

Alan Cumyn's web page

Writer's Union profile on Alan Cumyn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumyn, Alan 1960 births Living people Canadian male novelists Writers from Ottawa 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian writers of young adult literature 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers