Patrick deWitt (born 1975) is a Canadian novelist and screenwriter. Born on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

, deWitt lives in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

and has acquired American citizenship. As of 2023, he has written five novels: ''Ablutions'' (2009), ''

The Sisters Brothers ''The Sisters Brothers'' is a 2011 Western novel by Canadian-born author Patrick deWitt. The darkly comic story takes place in Oregon and California in 1851. The narrator, Eli Sisters, and his brother Charlie are assassins tasked with killing He ...

'' (2011), '' Undermajordomo Minor'' (2015), '' French Exit'' (2018) and '' The Librarianist'' (2023).

Biography

DeWitt was born on

Sidney, British Columbia Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It's 1 of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,583. Sidney is l ...

. The second of three brothers, he spent his childhood moving back and forth across the west coast of North America. He credits his father, a carpenter, with giving him his "lifelong interest in literature." DeWitt dropped out of high school to become a writer. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, working at a bar. He left Los Angeles to move back in with his parents in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

area, on

Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. ...

. When he sold his first book ''Ablutions'' (2009), deWitt quit his job as a

construction worker A construction worker is a worker employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definition By some definitions, workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers; they may be sk ...

to become a writer, and moved to

. Although born a Canadian citizen, deWitt was raised primarily in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, and later became a United States citizen. He married screenwriter Leslie Napoles, an American, with whom he has a son named Gustavo. He is separated from his wife, but they are amicable and share the care of their son.

Career

His first book, ''Ablutions: Notes for a Novel'' (2009), was named a ''New York Times'' Editors' Choice book. His second, ''

'' (2011), was shortlisted for the 2011

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

, the 2011

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

, the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

, and the 2011

Governor General's Award for English-language fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English.Esi Edugyan Esi Edugyan (born 1978) is a Canadian novelist.Donna Bailey Nurse"Writing the blues" ''Quill & Quire'', July 2011. She has twice won the Giller Prize, for her novels '' Half-Blood Blues'' and ''Washington Black''. Biography Esi Edugyan was born a ...

, to make all four award lists in 2011. On November 1, 2011, he was announced as the winner of the Rogers Prize, and on November 15, 2011, he was announced as the winner of Canada's 2011

Governor General's Award for English-language fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English.Stephen Leacock Award 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 Canadians, Canadian writer, publis ...

. Alongside Edugyan, ''The Sisters Brothers'' was also a shortlisted nominee for the 2012

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter Sc ...

for historical fiction. ''The Sisters Brothers'' was adapted as a film of the same name released in 2018. His third novel, '' Undermajordomo Minor'', was published in 2015. The novel was longlisted for the 2015

. His fourth novel, '' French Exit'', was published in August 2018 by Ecco Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. The book was named as a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Giller Prize. He wrote the screenplay for the 2020 film of the same name. DeWitt's most recent novel, '' The Librarianist'', was published on July 4, 2023, by Ecco Press. It follows a retired librarian named Bob Comet and is billed as a "wide-ranging and ambitious document of the introvert's condition."

Bibliography

Novels

*''Ablutions: Notes for a Novel'' (2009) *''

'' (2011) *'' Undermajordomo Minor'' (2015) *'' French Exit'' (2018) *'' The Librarianist'' (2023)

Nonfiction

*''Help Yourself Help Yourself'' (2007)

Screenplays

*''

Terri Terri is an alternative spelling of Terry. It is a common feminine given name and is also a diminutive for Teresa. Notable people with the name include: *Terri Allard (born 1962), American country/folk singer/songwriter *Terri S. Armstrong, Amer ...

'' (2011) *'' French Exit'' (2020)

References

External links

"Patrick deWitt interview: 'Certain writers look down their noses at plot. I was one of them – until I tried it'"
(2015 interview in ''The Guardian'')
"'The Internet Was Fucking Me Up:' Patrick DeWitt On Books, Bubbles, & Bullshit"
(2015 interview on ''Buzzfeed'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewitt, Patrick 1975 births Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian male writers American male novelists Canadian male novelists Canadian expatriate writers in the United States People from the Capital Regional District People with acquired American citizenship Writers from British Columbia Writers from Portland, Oregon Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers