Kevin Major (born September 12, 1949) is a Canadian author who lives in St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

with his wife. He writes for both young people and adults, including fiction, literary non-fiction, poetry, and plays. Major was born and raised in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He later moved to St. John's where he attended

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

. Before becoming a writer, he taught school in several parts of the province, including the Eastport Peninsula in Bonavista Bay. His early novels are known for exploring issues such as adolescence and family. The novels were usually set on the island of Newfoundland. In 1992, he was awarded the

Vicky Metcalf Award 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. His more recent books are mostly adult fiction.

Bibliography

* 1978 – ''Hold Fast'' , (nominated: Books in Canada First Novel Award; winner: Governor General's Award, Book-of-the-Year CACL, Ruth Schwartz Award; placed on Hans Christian Honour List) * 1980 – ''Far From Shore'' (winner: Canadian Young Adult Book Award) * 1984 – ''Thirty-Six Exposures'' * 1987 – '' Dear Bruce Springsteen'' * 1989 – '' Blood Red Ochre'' (nominated: Book-of-the-Year CACL, Geoffrey Bilson Award) * 1991 – ''Eating Between the Lines'' (nominated: Ruth Schwartz Award; winner: Book-of-the-Year CACL, Ann Conner-Brimer Award) * 1993 – ''Diana: My Autobiography'' * 1995 – ''No Man's Land'' and 2005 – ''No Man's Land: A Play'' * 1997 – ''Gaffer: A Novel of Newfoundland'' * 1997 – ''The House of Wooden Santas'' , (winner: Mr. Christie Award, Ann Conner-Brimer Award) * 2000 – ''Eh? to Zed: A Canadian Abecedarium'' (nominated: Mr. Christie Award, Ann Conner-Brimer Award, Ruth Schwartz Award) * 2001 – ''As Near to Heaven by Sea: A History of Newfoundland and Labrador'' – (nominated: Pearson Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Award) * 2003 – ''Ann and Seamus'' (nominated: Governor General's Award, Mr. Christie Award, Ruth Schwartz Award and five others; made into a folk opera of the same name) * 2005 – ''Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards'' (winner: Ann Conner-Brimer Award) * 2007 – ''Gros Morne Time Lines'' (with Tara Bryan &

Anne Meredith Barry Anne Meredith Barry D.Litt. (August 31, 1932 – January 23, 2003) was a Canadian visual artist known for her landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her paintings and prints made use of bold colours and whimsical patterns, occasionally incorpo ...

) * 2010 – "New Under the Sun" (book one of NewFoundLand trilogy; nominated: Atlantic Book Award) * 2014 - "Printmaking on the Edge: 40 Years at St. Michael's" * 2016 - "Found Far and Wide" (book two of NewFoundLand trilogy; winner: IPPY silver medal) * 2018 - "One for the Rock" (first Sebastian Synard crime fiction series) * 2019 - "Land Beyond the Sea" (book three of NewFoundLand trilogy; nominated: Atlantic Book Award and INDIE book award) * 2020 - "Two for the Tablelands" (second Sebastian Synard crime fiction series) * 2021 - "Three for Trinity" (third Sebastian Synard crime fiction series)

Selected Literary Awards

* 1978 - ''Hold Fast'' - Governor General's Children's Literature Award * 1979 - ''Hold Fast'' - Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year Award * 1979 - ''Hold Fast'' - Ruth Schwartz Award *1980 - ''Hold Fast'' - IBBY Honour List *1980 - ''Far from Shore'' - Young Adult Caucus, Canadian Young Adult Book Award *1990 - ''Blood Red Ochre'' - Geoffery Bilson Award Finalist *1992 - ''Eating Between the Lines'' - Ann Connor Brimer Award *1992 - ''Eating Between the Lines'' - Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award *1997 - ''The House of the Wooden Santas'' - Mr. Christie's Book Award *1998 - ''The House of the Wooden Santas'' - Ann Connor Brimer Award *2001 - ''As Near to Heaven by Sea'' - Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction Finalist *2004 - ''Ann and Seamus'' - Geoffery Bilson Award Finalist *2006 - ''Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards'' - Ann Connor Brimer Award *2017 - ''Found Far and Wide'' - Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medalist - Canada East - Best regional fiction *2019 - ''One for the Rock'' - Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medalist - Canada East - Best regional fiction *2020 - ''Land Beyond the Sea'' - Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist, Historical Fiction; Best Atlantic-Published Book Award Finalist; Canada Book Award Winner

References

External links

author website

Kevin Major
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 ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Kevin 1949 births Living people People from Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian writers of young adult literature Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador