Frances Susan Itani, née Hill (born August 25, 1942) is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist. She is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Biography

Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario,"Belleville-born author Frances Itani won acclaim for new book's prequel"
''

Belleville Intelligencer ''The Intelligencer'' (locally nicknamed the ''Intell'') is the daily (except on Sundays and certain holidays) newspaper of Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The paper is regarded mainly as a local paper, stressing local issues over issues of more na ...

'', August 29, 2014. and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by

W. O. Mitchell William Ormond Mitchell, (March 13, 1914 – February 25, 1998) was a Canadian writer and broadcaster. His "best-loved" novel is '' Who Has Seen the Wind'' (1947), which portrays life on the Canadian Prairies from the point of view of a smal ...

, she decided to change careers. She married Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, a retired Canadian Forces officer and humanitarian, in 1967. They resided 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 ...

, until his tragic passing due to a traumatic accident while out running. Itani has published eighteen books, ranging from fiction and poetry to a children's book. Her 2003 novel '' Deafening'' was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Award, and won the

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

, Caribbean and Canada region, and has been published in 16 countries.

Awards

'' Deafening'' was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Award, and won the

, Caribbean and Canada region. Itani was the 2021 recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada's annual Matt Cohen Award.Jane van Koeverden
"Katherena Vermette, Tomson Highway and Cherie Dimaline among winners at 2021 Writers' Trust Awards"
CBC Books, November 3, 2021.

Bibliography

Children's

*''Linger By the Sea'' (1979) (illustrated by Molly Bobak) *''Best Friend Trouble'' (2014) (illustrated by Genevieve Despres)

Short stories

*''Pack Ice'' (1989) *''Truth or Lies'' (1989) *''Man Without Face'' (1994) *''Poached Egg on Toast'' (2004)

Poetry

*''A Season of Mourning'' *''No Other Lodgings'' (1978) *''Rentee Bay: poems from the Bay of Quinte, 1785-89'' (1983)

Novels

*''Leaning, Leaning Over Water'' (1998) *'' Deafening'' (2003) *''Remembering the Bones'' (2007) *''Missing'' (2011) *''Requiem'' (2011) *''Tell'' (2014) (shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize) *''That's My Baby'' (2017) *''The Company We Keep'' (2020)

References

External links

Biography at Canada Reads
* Archives of Frances Itan
(Frances Itani fonds (R11753)
are held at National Archives of Canada 1942 births 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian nurses Canadian women nurses Canadian women novelists Canadian women poets Living people Writers from Belleville, Ontario Canadian women short story writers Writers from Ottawa 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers {{Canada-poet-stub