Joseph Boyden
Encyclopedia
Joseph Boyden is a Canadian
novelist and short story
writer. His first novel, Three Day Road
won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award
and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize
.
, North York, Ontario
and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School
. Boyden's father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the highest-decorated medical officer of World War II.
Of Irish, Scottish and Métis
heritage, Boyden writes about First Nations
heritage and culture. Three Day Road
, a novel about two Cree
soldiers serving in the Canadian military during World War I
, is inspired by Ojibwa Francis Pegahmagabow
, the legendary First World War sniper. Boyden's second novel, Through Black Spruce
follows the story of Will, son of one of the characters in Three Day Road. He has indicated in interviews that the titles are part of a planned trilogy
, the third of which is forthcoming.
Boyden studied creative writing at York University
and the University of New Orleans
, and subsequently taught in the Aboriginal Student Program at Northern College. He divides his time between Louisiana
, where he and his wife, Amanda Boyden
, are writers in residence, and Northern Ontario
.
and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
in 2006, and was a nominee for the 2005 Governor General's Awards
. It previously won the inaugural McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award
. Three Day Road was chosen for inclusion in Canada Reads 2006
, where it was championed by filmmaker Nelofer Pazira
.
His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize
.
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 and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer. His first novel, Three Day Road
Three Day Road
Three Day Road is the first novel from Canadian writer Joseph Boyden. Joseph’s maternal grandfather, as well as an uncle on his father’s side, served as soldiers during the First World War, and Boyden draws upon a wealth of family narratives...
won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award
Books in Canada First Novel Award
The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976....
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....
. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 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...
.
Biography
Boyden grew up in WillowdaleWillowdale, Toronto
Willowdale is an established, affluent community in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. It was originally called Lansing, which is now the name of a nearby neighbourhood....
, North York, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School
Brebeuf College School
Brebeuf College School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school in Toronto founded by the Jesuits in 1963 and associated with the Presentation Brothers since 1984...
. Boyden's father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the highest-decorated medical officer of World War II.
Of Irish, Scottish and Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
heritage, Boyden writes about First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
heritage and culture. Three Day Road
Three Day Road
Three Day Road is the first novel from Canadian writer Joseph Boyden. Joseph’s maternal grandfather, as well as an uncle on his father’s side, served as soldiers during the First World War, and Boyden draws upon a wealth of family narratives...
, a novel about two Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
soldiers serving in the Canadian military during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, is inspired by Ojibwa Francis Pegahmagabow
Francis Pegahmagabow
Francis Pegahmagabow MM & Two Bars, was the First Nations soldier most highly decorated for bravery in Canadian military history and the most effective sniper of World War I. Three times awarded the Military Medal and seriously wounded, he was an expert marksman and scout, credited with killing...
, the legendary First World War sniper. Boyden's second novel, Through Black Spruce
Through Black Spruce
Through Black Spruce is a novel by Canadian writer Joseph Boyden, published in 2008 by Viking Press. It is Boyden's second novel and third published book....
follows the story of Will, son of one of the characters in Three Day Road. He has indicated in interviews that the titles are part of a planned trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
, the third of which is forthcoming.
Boyden studied creative writing at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
and the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
, and subsequently taught in the Aboriginal Student Program at Northern College. He divides his time between Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, where he and his wife, Amanda Boyden
Amanda Boyden
Amanda Boyden is an American novelist.Born in Northern Minnesota and raised in Chicago and St. Louis, she studied creative writing at the University of New Orleans, where she and her husband, Canadian writer Joseph Boyden, are faculty members...
, are writers in residence, and Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
.
Awards
His debut novel, Three Day Road, won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel AwardBooks in Canada First Novel Award
The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976....
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....
in 2006, and was a nominee for the 2005 Governor General's Awards
2005 Governor General's Awards
The nominees for the 2005 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 17. Winning titles were announced on November 16...
. It previously won the inaugural McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award
McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award
The McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually since 2005 to a First Nations, Inuit or Métis writer for a work published in English in any literary genre...
. Three Day Road was chosen for inclusion in Canada Reads 2006
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
, where it was championed by filmmaker Nelofer Pazira
Nelofer Pazira
Nelofer Pazira is an award-winning Afghan-Canadian director, actress, journalist and author. She grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she lived through ten years of Soviet occupation before escaping with her family to Pakistan...
.
His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the 2008 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...
.
Novels
- Three Day RoadThree Day RoadThree Day Road is the first novel from Canadian writer Joseph Boyden. Joseph’s maternal grandfather, as well as an uncle on his father’s side, served as soldiers during the First World War, and Boyden draws upon a wealth of family narratives...
. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2005. (winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction PrizeRogers Writers' Trust Fiction PrizeThe 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....
, longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award) - Through Black SpruceThrough Black SpruceThrough Black Spruce is a novel by Canadian writer Joseph Boyden, published in 2008 by Viking Press. It is Boyden's second novel and third published book....
. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008. (winner of the Scotiabank 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...
, November 2008)
Non-fiction
- From Mushkegowuk to New Orleans: A Mixed Blood Highway. Edmonton: NeWest, 2008.
- Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont. Penguin, 2010.
External links
- Minnesota Public Radio: Joseph Boyden reading from "Three Day Road" (RealAudio stream)
- The Walrus Blogs Q&A with Joseph Boyden
- Alexander Varty article
- Author Podcast Interview with Paula Shackleton BookBuffet.com
- The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Allan Gregg interview segment: "Author Joseph Boyden on First Nations opinion of Louis Riel"