Rawi Hage
Encyclopedia
Early life and education
Born in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Hage grew up in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1984. In 1991, he relocated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he studied Photography at Dawson College
Dawson College
Dawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
and Fine Arts at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
. He subsequently began exhibiting as a photographer, and has had works acquired by the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in Canada's capital. He holds an MFA from the Université de Québec a Montréal (UQAM). In addition to his work as a writer and a visual artist, Hage spent time as a cab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver in Montreal.
Writing
Hage has published journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
in several Canadian and American magazines, and in the PEN America
PEN America
PEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers is a semi-annual literary journal that publishes fiction, poetry, conversation, criticism, and memoir. It is published by PEN American Center in New York City...
Journal. His debut novel, De Niro's Game
De Niro's Game
De Niro's Game is the debut novel by Lebanese-Canadian writer Rawi Hage, originally published in 2006.The novel's primary characters are Bassam and George, lifelong friends living in wartorn Beirut...
(2006), won the 2008 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the most lucrative literary prize in the world for a single novel, and was shortlisted for the 2006 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...
and the 2006 Governor General's Award
2006 Governor General's Awards
The shortlisted nominees for the 2006 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 16. Winning titles were announced on November 21...
for English fiction. Commenting on their selection, the IMPAC judges remarked that "its originality, its power, its lyricism, as well as its humane appeal all mark De Niro’s Game as the work of a major literary talent and make Rawi Hage a truly deserving winner." De Niro's Game was also awarded two Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
awards, the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction
Quebec Writers' Federation Awards
The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec.-Categories:...
and the McAuslan First Book Prize
Quebec Writers' Federation Awards
The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec.-Categories:...
His second novel, Cockroach, was published in 2008 and was also shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Governor General's Award
2008 Governor General's Awards
The shortlisted nominees for the 2008 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 21, and winning titles were announced on November 18...
and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize is a Canadian literary award presented by Rogers Communications and the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries....
, as well as being the winner of the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction
Quebec Writers' Federation Awards
The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English by writers from Quebec.-Categories:...
, awarded by the Quebec Writers' Federation.
His work has been translated into 20 languages.
External links
– interview- "Révolution et littérature", a short fiction published in PEN AmericaPEN AmericaPEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers is a semi-annual literary journal that publishes fiction, poetry, conversation, criticism, and memoir. It is published by PEN American Center in New York City...
10: Fear Itself - Rawi Hage on culturbase.net