David Bergen (born January 14, 1957) is a Canadian
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...
. He has published nine novels and two collections of short stories since 1993 and is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His 2005 novel '' The Time in Between'' won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and he was a finalist again in 2010 (for ''The Matter With Morris)'' and 2020 (for '' Here the Dark)'', making the long list in 2008 (for ''The Retreat).''
Life and career
Bergen was born on January 14, 1957, in Port Edward, a small fishing village in British Columbia, Canada, and later grew up in the small town of
Niverville, Manitoba
Niverville is a town in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Canada. The town lies between the northwest corner of the Rural Municipality of Hanover and the southeastern portion of the Rural Municipality of Ritchot. Niverville's population as of the 2021 ...
Red River College
Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) is a List of colleges in Canada, college located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the province's largest institute of applied learning and applied research, with over 200 degree, diploma, and cer ...
in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he studied creative communication. He taught English and Creative Writing at Winnipeg's
Kelvin High School
Kelvin High School is a public high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The school is located in the neighbourhood of River Heights. Kelvin teaches grades 9 to 12 and is part of the South District of the Winnipeg School Division.
History
T ...
until 2002.
Raised
Mennonite
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...
, Bergen has noted that the tendency of the church to stifle questions and criticism affected his decision to write fiction. "Writing is a way of figuring things out," he says. "If you can't ask certain questions in church, maybe you can ask them in fiction."
His
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
, ''A Year of Lesser'' in 1996, was a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' Notable Book and winner of the
McNally Robinson
McNally Robinson Booksellers is a family-operated chain of Canadian independent bookstores founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1981. It is managed by new owners Chris Hall and Lori Baker, formerly managed by Holly and Paul McNally. As of 2019 it h ...
Book of the Year Award. His 2002 novel ''The Case of Lena S.'' was a finalist for the
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' trade magazine, and was recently longlisted for the 2007
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
. In 2008, he published his fifth novel, ''The Retreat'', which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and which won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction. In 2010, he was shortlisted again for the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his sixth novel, ''The Matter with Morris,'' which was also shortlisted for the 2012 ''
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
.''
He is also the author of a collection of short fiction, ''Sitting Opposite My Brother'' (1993), which was a finalist for the Manitoba Book of the Year. His most recent short story collection, '' Here the Dark'', was published in 2020,"47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020"
CBC Books
CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...
, February 5, 2020. and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and the 2021
ReLit Award The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories."Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 19, 2007. Founded in 2000 by Newfoundla ...
for short fiction.
Bibliography
Novels
* ''A Year of Lesser'',
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...
Canada, 1996
* ''See the Child'', HarperCollins Canada, 1999
* ''The Case of Lena S.'',
McClelland & Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann.
...
, 2002
* '' The Time in Between'', McClelland & Stewart, 2005
* ''The Retreat'', McClelland & Stewart, 2008
* ''The Matter With Morris'', HarperCollins Canada, 2010
* ''The Age of Hope'', HarperCollins Canada, 2012
* ''Leaving Tomorrow'', HarperCollins Canada, 2014
* ''Stranger'', HarperCollins Canada, 2016
* ''Out of Mind'', Goose Lane Editions, 2021
Short stories
* ''Sitting Opposite My Brother'',
Turnstone Press
Turnstone Press is a Canadian literary publisher founded in 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the oldest in Manitoba and among the most respected independent publishers in Canada.
Turnstone was founded in 1976 by academics David Arnason, John Beaver, D ...
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by th ...
— ''The Case of Lena S.''
* 2002
Carol Shields
Carol Ann Shields, (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as ...
Winnipeg Book Award — ''The Case of Lena S.''
* 2002 Finalist, McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award — ''The Case of Lena S.''
* 2002 Finalist, Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction — ''The Case of Lena S.''
* 2005
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 b ...
— ''The Time in Between''
* 2005 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award — ''The Time in Between''
* 2007 Long list,
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
— ''The Time in Between''
* 2008 Long list,
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 b ...
— ''The Retreat''
* 2008 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award — ''The Retreat''
* 2008
Margaret Laurence
Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...
Award for Fiction — ''The Retreat''
* 2010 Shortlist,
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 b ...
— ''The Matter With Morris''
* 2012 Shortlist,
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
— ''The Matter with Morris''
* 2013 ''The Age of Hope'' chosen for
Canada Reads
''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...
Matt Cohen Award The Matt Cohen Award is an award given annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a Canadian writer, in honour of a distinguished lifetime contribution to Canadian literature. First presented in 2000, it was established in memory of Matt Cohen, a ...
* 2020 Shortlist, Scotiabank Giller Prize - ''Here the Dark''
* 2021 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award - ''Here the Dark''
* 2022 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award - ''Out of Mind''
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 f ...