Steven Galloway
Encyclopedia
Steven Galloway is a Canadian novelist.
Galloway was born in Vancouver, and raised in Kamloops
, British Columbia
. He attended the University College of the Cariboo
and the University of British Columbia
. Galloway teaches for the UBC creative writing program. He lives with his wife and two young daughters in New Westminster
.
. This novel could be best described as “a work about the love of hockey and the way two boys form a bond that carries them through life's tragedies and trials.” Galloway was recognized for successfully portraying a child’s perspective without “giving a child an adult's perspective.” The ethnic and economic diversity of the characters has critics describing it as a “truly Canadian book both in content and sensibility.” It has been noted that “The style of Galloway's early literary influences, Farley Mowat
and John Irving
, is apparent” in this first novel.
, and has been translated into over fifteen languages. Notably different from his first novel, Ascension takes a look at the events in the life of a 66 year old Romanian man leading up to his famous tight rope walking between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center
. "He expertly walks a very fine line, spinning the makings of what might have been a gimmicky immigrant tale into a gripping story of one man’s lifelong balancing act."
, longlisted for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the 2009 Evergreen Award, the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature and the Borders Original Voices Award. It was heralded as "the work of an expert" by The Guardian
, and it has become an international bestseller with rights sold in over 30 countries.
Galloway’s third novel is “set during the siege of Sarajevo
in the mid-1990s, it explores the dilemmas of ordinary people caught in the crisis." The title references the true story of Vedran Smailović
, a cellist who played for 22 days in sight of snipers to honour the people dying around him. "Nearly Dickensian in its formal precision", the novel follows the lives of three fictional citizens of Sarajevo as they struggle to survive the war The novel examines the gentleness found in humanity and the lasting and healing power of art.
The Cellist of Sarajevo sparked some controversy after Smailović demanded financial compensation for his presence in the novel. Galloway has asserted his embrace of the power of the imagination to place oneself in another's experience, to explore a variety of subject matter, themes and cultural backgrounds.
Galloway was born in Vancouver, and raised in Kamloops
Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He attended the University College of the Cariboo
Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University is a comprehensive university located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It offers students a broad range of courses, career streams, and the ability to ladder credits from diploma programs into full degrees...
and the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. Galloway teaches for the UBC creative writing program. He lives with his wife and two young daughters in New Westminster
New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....
.
Finnie Walsh
His debut novel, Finnie Walsh (2000), was nominated for the Amazon.ca/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....
. This novel could be best described as “a work about the love of hockey and the way two boys form a bond that carries them through life's tragedies and trials.” Galloway was recognized for successfully portraying a child’s perspective without “giving a child an adult's perspective.” The ethnic and economic diversity of the characters has critics describing it as a “truly Canadian book both in content and sensibility.” It has been noted that “The style of Galloway's early literary influences, Farley Mowat
Farley Mowat
Farley McGill Mowat, , born May 12, 1921 is a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Canadian North, such as People of the...
and John Irving
John Irving
John Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
, is apparent” in this first novel.
Ascension
His second novel, Ascension (2003), was nominated for the BC Book Prizes' Ethel Wilson Fiction PrizeEthel Wilson Fiction Prize
The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada....
, and has been translated into over fifteen languages. Notably different from his first novel, Ascension takes a look at the events in the life of a 66 year old Romanian man leading up to his famous tight rope walking between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. "He expertly walks a very fine line, spinning the makings of what might have been a gimmicky immigrant tale into a gripping story of one man’s lifelong balancing act."
The Cellist of Sarajevo
His third novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo (2008), was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
, longlisted for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize and won the 2009 Evergreen Award, the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature and the Borders Original Voices Award. It was heralded as "the work of an expert" by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and it has become an international bestseller with rights sold in over 30 countries.
Galloway’s third novel is “set during the siege of Sarajevo
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
in the mid-1990s, it explores the dilemmas of ordinary people caught in the crisis." The title references the true story of Vedran Smailović
Vedran Smailovic
Vedran Smailović , known as the "Cellist of Sarajevo", is a musician from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a former cellist in the Sarajevo String Quartet....
, a cellist who played for 22 days in sight of snipers to honour the people dying around him. "Nearly Dickensian in its formal precision", the novel follows the lives of three fictional citizens of Sarajevo as they struggle to survive the war The novel examines the gentleness found in humanity and the lasting and healing power of art.
The Cellist of Sarajevo sparked some controversy after Smailović demanded financial compensation for his presence in the novel. Galloway has asserted his embrace of the power of the imagination to place oneself in another's experience, to explore a variety of subject matter, themes and cultural backgrounds.