David Homel (born 1952) is an American-Canadian writer and literary translator.Ian McGillis
"Montreal's David Homel counsels self-forgiveness in new memoir"
''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', April 23, 2021. He is most noted as a two-time winner of the

Governor General's Award for French to English translation This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-to-English translation. Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s References {{Governor General's Literary Awards * Translation awar ...

, winning the award at the

1995 Governor General's Awards The 1995 Governor General's Literary Awards were presented by Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada on November 14 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto. Each winner received a cheque for $10,000 and a copy of their books specially bound by ...

for ''Why Must a Black Writer Write About Sex?'', his translation of

Dany Laferrière Dany Laferrière (born Windsor Kléber Laferrière, 13 April 1953) is a Haitian-Canadian novelist and journalist who writes in French. He was elected to seat 2 of the Académie française on 12 December 2013, and inducted in May 2015. Life Bor ...

's ''Cette grenade dans la main du jeune nègre est-elle une arme ou un fruit?'', and alongside Fred A. Reed at the

2001 Governor General's Awards The 2001 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on November 14. Each winner received a cheque for $15,000. English-language finalists Fiction *Ric ...

for ''Fairy Ring'', their translation of Martine Desjardins' ''Le Cercle de Clara''. Originally from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Homel moved to Canada in 1975, first taking a master's at the University of Toronto before settling in Montreal in 1980.Janice Kennedy, "A Novel Love; Two writers live happily ever after - together". ''

'', November 7, 1988. He is married to children's writer Marie-Louise Gay, with whom he has cowritten several children's works. His debut novel ''Electrical Storms'', published in 1988, was shortlisted for the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 1989. He is also a two-time winner of the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction at the Quebec Writers' Federation Awards, winning in 2003 for ''The Speaking Cure'' and in 2019 for ''The Teardown''. He has been nominated for the Governor General's Award for translation on eight other occasions, for his translations of Laferrière's ''How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired (Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer)'' in 1988, ''An Aroma of Coffee (L'Odeur du café)'' in 1994 and ''A Drifting Year (Chronique de la dérive douce)'' in 1997,

Yves Beauchemin Yves Beauchemin (born 26 June 1941) is a Quebec novelist. Born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Beauchemin received his degree in French literature and art history at the Université de Montréal in 1965. He taught literature at the Collège Garneau a ...

's ''The Second Fiddle (Le Second violon)'' in 1998, Philippe Poloni's ''Olivo Oliva'' in 1999,

Monique Proulx Monique Proulx (born January 17, 1952 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a Canadian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. She is a two-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for French language fiction for ''Le Cœur est un muscle involont ...

's ''The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle (Le Cœur est un muscle involontaire)'' in 2003 and ''Wildlives (Champagne)'' in 2009, and Desjardins' ''All That Glitters (L'Élu du hasard)'' in 2005.

Works

Fiction

*''Electrical Storms'' - 1988 *''Rat Palms'' - 1992 *''Sonya & Jack'' - 1995 *''Get on Top'' - 1999 *''The Speaking Cure'' - 2003 *''Midway'' - 2010 *''The Fledglings'' - 2014 *''The Teardown'' - 2019 *''A House Without Spirits'' - 2022

Children's, with Marie-Louise Gay

*''Travels With My Family'' - 2006 *''On the Road Again!'' - 2008 *''Summer in the City'' - 2012 *''The Traveling Circus'' - 2015 *''Travels in Cuba'' - 2021

Non-fiction

*''Mapping Literature: The Art and Politics of Literary Translation'' - 1988 *''Le monde est un document'', with photos by

John Max John Max (John Porchawka, 23 September 1936 – 5 May 2011) was a Canadian photojournalist, photography teacher, and art photographer. He is recognized for his use of the narrative sequence, his expressive portraiture, and his intensely personal, ...

- 2002 *''Lunging Into the Underbrush: A Life Lived Backwards'' - 2021

Translation

* ''Talking It Out: The October Crisis from Inside'' - 1987 (

Francis Simard Francis Simard, (June 2, 1946 – January 10, 2015) was a Quebec nationalist and convicted murderer. Simard was a member of the Chenier Cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), a group dedicated to the creation of an independent Marx ...

, ''Pour en finir avec Octobre'') * ''How to Make Love to a Negro'' - 1988 (

, ''Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer'') * ''The Invisible Empire'' - 1990 ( Denis Côté, ''L'invisible puissance'') * ''An Aroma of Coffee'' - 1993 (Dany Laferrière, ''L'odeur du café'') * ''Why Must a Black Writer Write About Sex'' - 1995 (Dany Laferrière, ''Cette grenade dans la main du jeune nègre est-elle une arme ou un fruit?'') * ''Sandman Blues'' - 1996 (

Stéphane Bourguignon Stéphane is a male French given name an equivalent of Stephen/Steven. Notable people with this given name include: *Stéphane Adam (born 1969), French footballer *Stéphane Agbre Dasse (born 1989), Burkinabé football player *Stéphane Allagnon, ...

, ''L'avaleur de sable'') * ''A Drifting Year'' - 1997 (Dany Laferrière, ''Chronique de la dérive douce'') * ''The Second Fiddle'' - 1998 (

, ''Le second violon'') * ''Olivo Oliva'' - 1999 ( Philippe Poloni) * ''Fairy Rings'' - 2001 ( Martine Desjardins, ''Le cercle de Clara''), with Fred A. Reed * ''The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle'' - 2003 (

,''Le cœur est un muscle involontaire''), with Fred A. Reed * ''All That Glitters'' - 2005 (Martine Desjardins, ''L'élu du hasard''), with Fred A. Reed * ''The Baldwins'' - 2006 (

Serge Lamothe Serge Lamothe (born February 15, 1963) is a French-Canadian writer. Education He holds a master's degree in literature from Laval University in Quebec City. Career He was a member of the board and vice president, in 2005, of UNEQ (Quebec Write ...

, ''Les Baldwin''), with Fred A. Reed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Homel, David 1952 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers American male novelists American male non-fiction writers American memoirists American translators American emigrants to Canada Canadian male novelists Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian translators Canadian memoirists Governor General's Award-winning translators Writers from Chicago Writers from Montreal University of Toronto alumni