David Bergen
Encyclopedia
David Bergen is a Canadian
novelist from Winnipeg, Manitoba
. He has published six novels and one collection of short stories since 1993. The Matter with Morris, his most recent novel, published in 2010, has been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
until 2002.
Raised as a Mennonite, 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 Year of Lesser in 1996, was a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the McNally Robinson
Book of the Year Award. His 2002 novel The Case of Lena S. was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English language fiction
and won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.
His 2005 novel The Time in Between
won the Scotiabank Giller Prize
, received a coveted starred review in the Kirkus Reviews
trade magazine, and was recently longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award. 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.
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. He has published six novels and one collection of short stories since 1993. The Matter with Morris, his most recent novel, published in 2010, has been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Life and career
David Bergen was born on January 14, 1957 in Port Edward, a small fishing village in British Columbia, and later grew up in a small Mennonite town in Manitoba. He went to Bible college in British Columbia and Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he studied creative communication. He taught English and Creative Writing at Winnipeg's Kelvin High SchoolKelvin High School
Kelvin High School is a public high school, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.-History:Founded in 1912 as Kelvin Technical High School, the name was later shortened to Kelvin High School. The school is named after the mathematical physicist and engineer Sir William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin of...
until 2002.
Raised as a Mennonite, 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 Year of Lesser in 1996, was a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the McNally Robinson
McNally Robinson
McNally Robinson Booksellers is a family-operated chain of Canadian independent bookstores founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1981. It is managed by Holly and Paul McNally and their daughter Victoria .- Overview :...
Book of the Year Award. His 2002 novel The Case of Lena S. was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English language fiction
Governor General's Award for English language fiction
This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English language fiction.-1930s:*1936: Bertram Brooker, Think of the Earth*1937: Laura Salverson, The Dark Weaver*1938: Gwethalyn Graham, Swiss Sonata...
and won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.
His 2005 novel The Time in Between
The Time In Between
The Time in Between is a novel by Canadian author David Bergen. It deals with a man named Charles Boatman, who mysteriously returns to Vietnam, where he had been a soldier earlier in his life, and his children, Ada and Jon, who also go to Vietnam to search for him.Although generally called a war...
won the Scotiabank Giller Prize
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
, received a coveted starred review in the Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
trade magazine, and was recently longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award. 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.
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.
Novels
- A Year of Lesser, HarperCollins Canada, 1996
- See the Child, HarperCollins Canada, 1999
- The Case of Lena S., McClelland & Stewart, 2002
- The Time in BetweenThe Time In BetweenThe Time in Between is a novel by Canadian author David Bergen. It deals with a man named Charles Boatman, who mysteriously returns to Vietnam, where he had been a soldier earlier in his life, and his children, Ada and Jon, who also go to Vietnam to search for him.Although generally called a war...
, McClelland & Stewart, 2005 - The Retreat, McClelland & Stewart, 2008
- The Matter With Morris, HarperCollins Canada, 2010
Awards
- 1993 Finalist, Manitoba Book of the Year — Sitting Opposite My Brother
- 1996 John Hirsch Award — A Year of Lesser
- 1996 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award — A Year of Lesser
- 1999 CBC Literary Award, Short Story — How Can 'N' Men Share a Bottle of Vodka
- 2002 Short list, Governor General's Award2002 Governor General's AwardsThe 2002 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were presented by Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on Tuesday, November 19...
— The Case of Lena S. - 2002 Carol Shields 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 PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
— The Time in Between - 2005 McNally RobinsonMcNally RobinsonMcNally Robinson Booksellers is a family-operated chain of Canadian independent bookstores founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1981. It is managed by Holly and Paul McNally and their daughter Victoria .- Overview :...
Book of the Year Award — The Time in Between - 2007 Long list, International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardThe International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
— The Time in Between - 2008 Long list, Giller PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
— The Retreat - 2008 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award — The Retreat
- 2008 Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction — The Retreat
- 2010 Shortlist, Giller PrizeScotiabank Giller PrizeThe Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
— The Matter With Morris
External links
- Description of David Bergen's archives at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
- David Bergen's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Profile at Manitoba Writers' GuildManitoba Writers' GuildThe Manitoba Writers' Guild was inaugurated in August 1981 at Aubigny, Manitoba, as a grassroots organization for and of Manitoba writers. The Guild has grown from the twenty members who joined after that first meeting to a membership of over 600. The Manitoba Writers' Guild's primary aim is to...