Archie Crail (born 1944 in Paarl,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

)"Can't feel safe, even in Saskatchewan". '' Windsor Star'', February 3, 1995. 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 ...

writer. He was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the

1992 Governor General's Awards Each winner of the 1992 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. English Fren ...

for his short story collection ''The Bonus Deal''.

Background

coloured Coloureds ( af, Kleurlinge or , ) refers to members of multiracial ethnic communities in Southern Africa who may have ancestry from more than one of the various populations inhabiting the region, including African, European, and Asian. South ...

South African of

Khoisan Khoisan , or (), according to the contemporary Khoekhoegowab orthography, is a catch-all term for those indigenous peoples of Southern Africa who do not speak one of the Bantu languages, combining the (formerly "Khoikhoi") and the or ( in t ...

descent,"The essence of politics; Relocated in Regina, South African writer explores his roots". ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'', June 21, 1992. Crail was born and raised in Paarl. Educated at the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

,Heather Hodgson, ''Saskatchewan Writers: Lives Past and Present''.

University of Regina Press The University of Regina Press is a university press associated with the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan. The press was founded in 2013 and publishes books on a variety of topics, including indigenous cultures, Canadian hist ...

, 2004. . p. 63. he was an anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist with the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

, and studied theology under

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

."A spinner of complex but sturdy prose". ''

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 ...

'', November 28, 1992. He later spent several years living in

South-West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

, continuing his political activism with

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

, and briefly moved to

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

before moving to Canada in 1980. Crail and his family settled in Regina,

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 ...

in 1980. Crail took classes at the University of Regina, including studying creative writing under

Ven Begamudré Ven Begamudré (born 1956) is a Canadian poet, short story writer and novelist. He was born in Bangalore, India and moved with his family to Canada when he was six. During his writing career, he has been a part of six writers-in-residence. He curr ...

Writing

His first work, a theatrical play titled ''Exile'', won the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild literary competition in 1989 and was produced by

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

's 25th Street Theatre in 1990. A touring production of ''Exile'' was later mounted in South Africa. ''The Bonus Deal'' was published by Coteau Books in 1992. Claire Rothman, "South African emigre shows lives at breaking point". ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'', December 5, 1992. Several of the short stories in ''The Bonus Deal'' were also dramatized for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. In 1991, after the South African government lifted its ban on exiled African National Congress members returning to South Africa, Crail attended the organization's conference in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Works

*''Exile'' (1990) *''The Bonus Deal'' (1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crail, Archie Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male short story writers Canadian radio writers Canadian male journalists Black Canadian writers Journalists from Saskatchewan South African male short story writers South African short story writers South African journalists South African dramatists and playwrights Coloured South African people South African emigrants to Canada People from Paarl Writers from Regina, Saskatchewan Anti-apartheid activists University of South Africa alumni Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 1944 births 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian Film Centre alumni