Nelson Lee Gowan (born in 1961) is a Canadian novelist. Gowan grew up on a farm near

Swift Current Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, and studied at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

, where he received a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree in creative writing. Gowan is presently based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

where he heads the creative writing program at the School of Continuing Studies,

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

. At the 1996

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

, Gowan was nominated for his screenplay ''Paris or Somewhere''. In 2002 his novel ''Make Believe Love'' was nominated for the

Trillium Award The Trillium Book Award (french: Prix littéraire Trillium or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is ove ...

for Best Book in Ontario. In 2006 his novel ''The Last Cowboy'' was published by Albin Michel in France as ''Jusqu'au bout du ciel''.

Bibliography

* 1990: ''Going to Cuba'' (Fifth House) * 2001: ''Make Believe Love'' (Alfred A. Knopf) * 2004: ''The Last Cowboy'' (Alfred A. Knopf) * 2009: ''Confession'' (Alfred A. Knopf) * 2021: The Beautiful Place (Thistledown Press)

External links

Random House: Lee Gowan
1961 births Living people Canadian male novelists People from Swift Current University of British Columbia alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Writers from Saskatchewan Canadian male screenwriters Canadian Film Centre alumni 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-screenwriter-stub