David Chariandy

David Chariandy
David Chariandy in 2019
Chariandy in 2019
Born
David John Chariandy

1969 (age 56–57)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Education
OccupationsNovelist and academic
Writing career
Period2000s–present
Notable worksSoucouyant (2007); Brother (2017)

David John Chariandy (born 1969) is a Canadian writer and academic, presently working as a professor of English literature at the University of Toronto. His 2017 novel Brother won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and Toronto Book Award.

Life and career

Chariandy's parents immigrated to Canada from Trinidad in the 1960s. He was born in 1969 in Scarborough, Ontario. His father is of Indo-Trinidadian descent (Tamil and South Indian), whereas his mother is Afro-Trinidadian. They were both working-class immigrants.

Chariandy has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Carleton University and a PhD from York University. For many years he lived in Vancouver and taught in the Department of English at Simon Fraser University. In 2024, he joined the faculty of the University of Toronto as a Professor in the Department of English.

Chariandy's family includes his wife and two children: a son and a daughter.

Writing and themes

Chariandy's novels are set in Scarborough, a district of Toronto, Ontario, known for its large immigrant populartion. In his work, he explores themes of immigration and children of immigrants belonging to multiple parts of the world.

Chariandy told the Toronto Star:

If I'm honest, I always wanted to write a story that evoked the complexities of growing up young and Black in Scarborough [...] Throughout my entire life growing up in Scarborough and returning to it even as a young adult, I always felt so discomforted by the negative stories of Scarborough that would circulate in the newspapers and tabloids and sometimes by word of mouth, among people who really didn't know Scarborough that well.

His novels offer stories of Scarborough that present "challenges, but tell that bigger story of life and vitality that you don’t always see in headlines."

His non-fiction book I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter was inspired by both a racist incident he experienced while at a Vancouver restaurant with his three-year-old daughter and then, years later, by the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017.

Chariandy's novel Brother, the 2017 winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, was optioned for film in 2018 The film went into production in fall 2021 under the direction of Clement Virgo. The film, Brother, premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and won 12 Canadian Screen Awards at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.

Soucouyant has also gone into development as a feature film, slated to be directed by Ian Harnarine.

Awards and honours

Year Title Award Result Ref.
2007 Soucouyant Books in Canada First Novel Award Shortlist
Governor General's Award for English-language fiction Shortlist
Scotiabank Giller Prize Longlist
2008 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize Shortlist
Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean) Shortlist
International Dublin Literary Award Longlist
ReLit Award for Fiction Shortlist
Toronto Book Award Shortlist
2017 Brother Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Winner
Scotiabank Giller Prize Longlist
2018 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize Winner
Not the Booker Prize Longlist
Toronto Book Award Winner
2019 Aspen Words Literary Prize Shortlist
Canada Reads Longlist
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Fiction Nominee
Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for Fiction Winner
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction Longlist
PEN Open Book Award Longlist

Publications

Selected talks

References

  1. 1 2 3 McKibbin, Molly L. (8 April 2014). "David Chariandy". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "David Chariandy". CBC Books. 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Toronto Book Awards Past Winners". City of Toronto. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Truth versus protection: David Chariandy negotiates how to talk to his daughter about race and belonging". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 May 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 Kellaway, Kate (14 April 2019). "David Chariandy: 'To make sense of prejudice, tell the story of the past'". Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  6. ↑ Chariandy, David (2018). I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A letter to my daughter. Canada: Maclelland & Stewart.
  7. ↑ Bandukwala, Manahil (25 January 2019). "The Open Magic of Literature: A Discussion with David Chariandy". Carleton University Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Meet the underdog; Newcomer David Chariandy may be surprise giant killer at Governor General's Awards". Calgary Herald. 25 November 2007.
  9. ↑ Jeffers, Asha (September 2022). "Hidden histories and second generation struggles in David Chariandy's Soucouyant". The Journal of Commonwealth Literature. 57 (3): 643–656. doi:10.1177/0021989419900523. ISSN 0021-9894.
  10. 1 2 Patch, Nick (26 September 2018). "David Chariandy rewrites Scarborough in his new book Brother". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  11. ↑ "David Chariandy's novel Brother optioned for film with Clement Virgo at the helm". CBC Books. 7 September 2018.
  12. ↑ Sardi, Liza (18 October 2021). "Rising stars assemble for Brother". Playback. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Hertz, Barry (6 July 2022). "TIFF to host world premiere of Clement Virgo's buzzy adaptation of Scarborough-set novel Brother". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Dowling, Amber (15 April 2023). "'The Porter,' 'Sort Of' and Clement Virgo's 'Brother' Lead 2023 Canadian Screen Awards". Variety. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Ferron, Rushane (3 August 2024). "Ian Harnarine's 'Doubles' captivates and inspires: A deep dive into the film's journey". Toronto Caribbean.
  16. ↑ "First Novel Award shortlist released". Ottawa Citizen. 12 June 2008.
  17. ↑ "Ondaatje, Vassanji, Atwood among literary stars on Governor General's short list". Winnipeg Free Press. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Fifteen authors on Giller Prize longlist for fiction". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 18 September 2007.
  19. ↑ Yohannes, Samraweet (13 March 2018). "Eden Robinson, David Chariandy among 2018 BC Book Prize finalists". CBC Books. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "B.C. Book Prize unveils its 2008 short lists". The Globe and Mail. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  21. ↑ "Outside chance for Outlander; Gil Adamson a finalist in Commonwealth race". Edmonton Journal, 15 February 2008.
  22. ↑ "Canadian authors on IMPAC list". Prince George Citizen, 17 November 2008.
  23. ↑ Irvine, Lindesay (12 November 2008). "147 authors fight it out for the Impac Dublin prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "ReLit Awards: Novel: 2008". Canadian Books & Authors. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Wagner, Vit (18 October 2008). "Downie wins Toronto Book Award; Loyalty Management takes $15,000 prize". The Toronto Star.
  26. ↑ "Awards: Christy; Writers' Trust of Canada; Patrick White Winners". Shelf Awareness. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Beattie, Steven W. (15 November 2017). "David Chariandy, Billie Livingston, and Diane Schoemperlen among the winners at the 2017 Writers' Trust awards". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  28. ↑ Medley, Mark (18 September 2017). "Three first-time authors make Giller Prize longlist". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  29. ↑ Beattie, Steven W. (7 May 2018). "David Chariandy and Arthur Manuel among winners of the 2018 B.C. Book Prizes". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  30. ↑ Mooney, Harrison (5 May 2018). "David Chariandy's Brother wins best work of fiction at the 2018 BC Book Prizes". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  31. ↑ Jordison, Sam (30 July 2018). "Not the Booker longlist: vote now to decide the 2018 shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  32. ↑ Dundas, Deborah (10 October 2018). "David Chariandy's novel Brother wins $10,000 Toronto Book Award". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  33. ↑ Patrick, Ryan B. (24 August 2017). "David Chariandy wins $10K Toronto Book Award for novel Brother". CBC Books. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  34. ↑ "Awards: L.A. Times Book; Nebula; Aspen Words Literary; Jane Grigson Trust Shortlists". Shelf Awareness. 21 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  35. ↑ Balser, Erin (20 February 2019). "Brother by David Chariandy finalist for $35K US Aspen Words Literary Prize". CBC Books. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  36. ↑ Murua, James (27 June 2019). "Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Awards 2019 nominees announced". Writing Africa. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  37. ↑ Flood, Alison (13 March 2019). "'It was like a miracle': Eight writers surprised with $165,000 awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  38. ↑ van Koeverden, Jane (13 March 2019). "David Chariandy awarded $165K US Windham-Campbell Prize". CBC Books. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  39. ↑ Carter, Sue (13 March 2019). "David Chariandy wins Windham-Campbell Prize". Quill & Quire. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  40. ↑ "Awards: Windham-Campbell; Man Booker International". Shelf Awareness. 14 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  41. ↑ "The Orwell Prizes 2019: Longlists announced". The Orwell Foundation. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  42. ↑ "Awards: Orwell Longlists". Shelf Awareness. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  43. ↑ "Announcing the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  44. ↑ "An Evening with Jordan Abel, David Chariandy & Stephanie Sinclair". Chan Centre. Retrieved 11 March 2026.