Moyez G. Vassanji

Erin Goheen Glanville (Simon Fraser University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.2: Canadian Writing and Culture (Anglophone): The Twentieth Century and beyond, 1900-present.
Vol. editors: Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia)

Dates

Born 30 May 1950
Activity 1989-ongoing

Places

Born in Kenya
Active in Canada

Cultural Identities

Black Canadian

Activities

Primary

Novelist
Story-writer

Resources

Vassanji's Works

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M.G. Vassanji’s original career as a physicist ended in 1989 with the publication of his first novel,

The Gunny Sack

, and the start of his career as an author. This first novel won the regional Commonwealth First Book Prize (Africa), and, after its publication, Vassanji was invited to participate in the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa. He has since written five more novels, two collections of short stories, and a memoir about his visits to India, many of which have been published several times and in various countries. Alongside his writing achievements is a list of awards they have garnered: Harbourfront Festival Prize; Commonwealth First Book Prize (Africa); Bressani Prize; and numerous shortlists. He was the first author to receive the Giller Prize twice, and…

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1538 words

Citation: Goheen Glanville, Erin. "Moyez G. Vassanji". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4526, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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