Joseph Kertes (born 1951) is a writer who escaped from Hungary with his family to Canada after the revolution of 1956. He studied English at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, where he was encouraged in his writing by Irving Layton and Marshall McLuhan. Kertes founded

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

's distinguished creative writing and comedy programs. He was for 15 years Humber's Dean of Creative and Performing Arts and was a recipient of numerous awards for teaching and innovation. His first novel, ''Winter Tulips'', won the

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self ...

in 1989. ''Boardwalk'', his second novel, and two children's books, ''The Gift'' and ''The Red Corduroy Shirt'', met with critical acclaim. Roddy Doyle said of Kertes's third novel, ''Gratitude'' (Penguin), that the story "grabbed me and wouldn't let go; I found it totally engrossing. It is a huge, sprawling novel, yet beautifully precise. ''Gratitude'' brings new life to well-known history, but the lasting strength of this wonderful book is its people, in all their flaws and glories. It is a massive achievement". Ha Jin described Gratitude as "a rich, grand novel. It reveals the complexity of human psychology and motivations. It shows the fate and the cruelty and generosity of human beings caught in the violence of history. Joseph Kertes writes with tremendous skill, strength, and passion, which make reading this book sheer pleasure. Stylistically and thematically, it is a remarkable achievement". ''Gratitude'' won a

Canadian Jewish Book Award The Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards were a Canadian program of literary awards, managed, produced and presented annually by the Koffler Centre of the Arts to works judged to be the year's best works of literature by Jewish Canadian ...

and the U.S.

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.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 ...

'', and magazines, like ''The Walrus''. A feature of his in ''The Walrus'', called "The Truth About Lying", was nominated for a National Magazine Award. A story of his, "Records," was a finalist for a CBC Literary Award. Kertes was named winner of the 2017 Harbourfront Festival Prize for outstanding contribution to literature and the world of letters.

References

Hungarian emigrants to Canada Canadian male novelists 1951 births Living people Jewish Canadian writers Stephen Leacock Award winners 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers {{canada-writer-stub