David Adams Richards
Encyclopedia
David Adams Richards, CM
, ONB
(born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian
novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet.
Born in Newcastle
, New Brunswick
, Richards left St. Thomas University
in Fredericton
, New Brunswick, three credits shy of completing a B.A.
. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick
. He is currently the Artist in Residence at St. Thomas University
.
Richards has received numerous awards including 2 Gemini Awards for scriptwriting for Small Gifts and "For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down", the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Canadian Authors Association Award for his novel Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace. Richards is one of only three writers to have won in both the fiction and non-fiction categories of the Governor General's Award
. He won the 1988 fiction award
for Nights Below Station Street and the 1998 non-fiction award
for Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi. He was also a co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize for Mercy Among the Children
. In 2009, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
"for his contributions to the Canadian literary scene as an essayist, screenwriter and writer of fiction and non-fiction". In 2011 he received the Matt Cohen Prize
.
In 1971, he married the former Peggy McIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas and Anton Richards, and reside in Fredericton as of December 2009.
The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick administers an annual David Adams Richards Prize for Fiction.
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, ONB
Order of New Brunswick
The Order of New Brunswick is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Instituted in 2000 by Lieutenant Governor Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bernard Lord, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended...
(born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian
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, essayist, screenwriter and poet.
Born in Newcastle
Newcastle, New Brunswick
Newcastle is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County....
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Richards left St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)
St. Thomas University is jointly a public and Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
in Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
, New Brunswick, three credits shy of completing a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
. He is currently the Artist in Residence at St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)
St. Thomas University is jointly a public and Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
.
Richards has received numerous awards including 2 Gemini Awards for scriptwriting for Small Gifts and "For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down", the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Canadian Authors Association Award for his novel Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace. Richards is one of only three writers to have won in both the fiction and non-fiction categories of the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
. He won the 1988 fiction award
1988 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
for Nights Below Station Street and the 1998 non-fiction award
1998 Governor General's Awards
The winners of the 1998 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts on November 17 in Ottawa...
for Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi. He was also a co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize for Mercy Among the Children
Mercy Among the Children
Mercy among the Children is a novel by David Adams Richards, published by Doubleday Canada in 2000. Sarah Slean championed the novel to compete in Canada Reads in 2009.-Synopsis:...
. In 2009, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
"for his contributions to the Canadian literary scene as an essayist, screenwriter and writer of fiction and non-fiction". In 2011 he received the Matt Cohen Prize
Matt Cohen Prize
The Matt Cohen Prize 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...
.
In 1971, he married the former Peggy McIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas and Anton Richards, and reside in Fredericton as of December 2009.
The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick administers an annual David Adams Richards Prize for Fiction.
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.
Novels
- The Coming of Winter (1974)
- Blood Ties (1976)
- Lives of Short Duration (1981)
- Road to the Stilt House (1985)
- Nights Below Station Street (1988, winner of the 1988 Governor General's Award1988 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
for fiction) - Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace (1990)
- For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down (1993, nominated for a Governor General's Award1993 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1993 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...
, winner of the 1994 Thomas Head Raddall AwardThomas Head Raddall AwardThe Thomas Head Raddall Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada and the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, to the best work of adult fiction published in the previous year by a writer from the Atlantic provinces...
) - Hope in the Desperate Hour (1996)
- The Bay of Love and SorrowsThe Bay of Love and Sorrows-Plot:Set in rural New Brunswick in 1974, the novel's protagonist is Michael Skid, the privileged son of the town judge. After a falling out with his friend Tom Donnerel, Michael befriends Madonna and Silver Brassaurd, a brother and sister who draw him into the orbit of Everette Hutch, a...
(1998) - Mercy Among the ChildrenMercy Among the ChildrenMercy among the Children is a novel by David Adams Richards, published by Doubleday Canada in 2000. Sarah Slean championed the novel to compete in Canada Reads in 2009.-Synopsis:...
(2000) (co-winner of the Giller Prize) - River of the Broken-Hearted (2004)
- The Friends of Meager Fortune (2006) (longlisted for the Giller Prize)
- The Lost Highway (2007) (longlisted for the Giller Prize, Nominated Governor General's Awards 2008 Governor General's Award)
- Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul (2011)
Plays
- The Dungarvon Whooper (1975)
- Water Carrier, Bones and Earth (1983)
- Hockey Dreams (2009)
Non-fiction
- A Lad From Brantford and Other Essays (1994)
- Hockey Dreams: Memories of a Man Who Couldn't Play (1996)
- Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi (1998, winner of the 1998 Governor General's Award1998 Governor General's AwardsThe winners of the 1998 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts on November 17 in Ottawa...
) - Extraordinary Canadians: Lord Beaverbrook (2008)
- God is. (2009)
General
- "Non-Judgmental Truth: An Interview with David Adams Richards" by Craig Proctor, Blood & Aphorisms (Winter 1998)
External links
- David Adams Richards at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...