Jerrod Edson (born 1974 in
Saint John,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
. His work has been widely praised by critics, including fellow New Brunswick writer
David Adams Richards
David Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer and member of the Canadian Senate.[Telegraph-Journal
The ''Telegraph-Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It serves as both a provincial daily and as a local newspaper for Saint John. The newspaper is published by Brunswick News. The ''Telegraph-Journal'' ...]
claimed that Edson is "one of the best New Brunswick writers, period."
His novels all take place in Saint John and focus on the underbelly of society. His characters are often drunks who find redemption in one form or another. His novel ''The Goon'' was shortlisted for the 2011
ReLit Award The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories."Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 19, 2007. Founded in 2000 by Newfoundla ...
for Best Novel. In 2013 he became a member of the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick. That same year his manuscript for ''The Moon is Real'' won the David Adams Richards Prize.
Edson has completed his sixth novel, ''The Boulevard'', his first work of speculative fiction. Publishing details are forthcoming.
From the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia: "Edson’s vivid portrayal of the urban area, as well as the working class and underclass, creates a vision of Saint John that highlights the discrepancy between the pre-modern idyllic notion of life in Atlantic Canada and the more complicated reality of the region."
Bibliography
*''The Boulevard'' (forthcoming)
*''The Moon is Real.'' Windsor: Urban Farmhouse Press, 2016.
*''The Goon.'' Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2010.
*''A Place of Pretty Flowers.'' Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2007.
*''The Dirty Milkman.'' Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2005.
*''The Making of Harry Cossaboom.'' Saint John: Dreamcatcher, 2000.
External links
* http://w3.stu.ca/stu/sites/nble/e/edson_jerrod.html (New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia w/ Edson's bio)
* http://www.oberonpress.ca (Oberon Press website)
* http://jerrodedson.blogspot.ca/ (Edson's website)
1974 births
Canadian male novelists
Living people
Writers from Saint John, New Brunswick
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