Trevor Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Trevor Ferguson , a.k.a John Farrow, (born 11 Nov 1947) is a Canadian
novelist who lives in Hudson
, Quebec
. He is the author of nine novels and four plays. He has been called Canada's best novelist both in Books in Canada and the Toronto Star.
Born in Seaforth
, Huron County, Ontario
in 1947, he was raised in Montreal
from the age of three. In his mid-teens, he gravitated towards Canada's northwest where he worked on railway gangs, and also began to write, working at night in the bunkhouses.
In his early twenties, he travelled and worked throughout Europe and the United States before returning to Montreal to write. He settled into driving a taxi by night and writing by day until the publication of his first novel, High Water Chants, in 1977, which Dennis Lee
called one of the best in the language. His second novel, Onyx John, in 1985, received (arguably) the highest critical acclaim in the history of Canadian literature. Leon Rooke
called it one of the five best novels of the twentieth century. Sixteen years later, the novel would become a bestseller in France. Indeed, his work is highly regarded in France, where he's often cited as being one of the world's pre-eminent writers.
Extraordinary praise also awaited the publication of his third novel, The Kinkajou. The Timekeeper won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for fiction and is currently being developed for film. A ninth novel, The Earth in its Devotion, is forthcoming soon.
City of Ice, written under the penname John Farrow, has been published in 17 countries and the film option sold. The Vancouver Sun called the book the best ever produced in Canada in genre fiction. The second in the series, Ice Lake, caused the New York library journal Booklist to claim that the series is among the very best in crime fiction today.
In 2002, Trevor Ferguson's first play, Long, Long, Short, Long was produced by infinitheatre (directed Guy Sprung) in Montreal and has become the first English play in history to be nominated by l'académie québécoise du theatre for a Masque award for best text. It returned to the stage in French in the fall of 2005, at Place des Arts in Montreal, and was seen by more than 20,000 people. His second play, Beach House, Burnt Sienna, was chosen to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Village Theatre West in Hudson in 2002. Co-produced with infinitheatre (dir. Guy Sprung), it enjoyed a highly successful run. A third play, Barnacle Wood, was produced in Montreal, also by infinitheatre, in March 2004. His fourth play, Zarathustra Said Some Things, No? opens with the Bridge Theatre Company at Studio 54 in New York City, in April, 2006.
Trevor Ferguson is a Past-Chair of The Writers' Union of Canada
. He has been a Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta
, an invité d'honneur at the Salon des Livres in Montreal
, and he was among the Quebec authors invited as special guests of the Paris Book Fair in 1999. In 2002, he was one of the few Canadian writers invited to the Festival of the Americas in Paris. Also in 2002, he served on the faculty of the May Writers’ Studio at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He frequently teaches creative writing at Concordia University, and resides in Montreal.
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 who lives in Hudson
Hudson, Quebec
Hudson, Quebec, Canada, is a town with a population of 5,088 on the south-west bank of the lower Ottawa River, in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. Situated about west of downtown Montreal, many residents commute to work on the Island of Montreal.- Location and...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He is the author of nine novels and four plays. He has been called Canada's best novelist both in Books in Canada and the Toronto Star.
Born in Seaforth
Seaforth
-Places:* Loch Seaforth, Scotland, Great Britain, United Kingdom* Seaforth Island, Scotland, Great Britain, United Kingdom* Seaforth, Jamaica* Seaforth, Merseyside, England, Great Britain, United Kingdom* Seaforth, Minnesota, United States...
, Huron County, 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....
in 1947, he was raised in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
from the age of three. In his mid-teens, he gravitated towards Canada's northwest where he worked on railway gangs, and also began to write, working at night in the bunkhouses.
In his early twenties, he travelled and worked throughout Europe and the United States before returning to Montreal to write. He settled into driving a taxi by night and writing by day until the publication of his first novel, High Water Chants, in 1977, which Dennis Lee
Dennis Lee (author)
Dennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet, teacher, editor, and critic born in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer, well known for his book of children's rhymes, Alligator Pie.-Life:...
called one of the best in the language. His second novel, Onyx John, in 1985, received (arguably) the highest critical acclaim in the history of Canadian literature. Leon Rooke
Leon Rooke
Leon Rooke, CM is a Canadian novelist. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in the United States. Educated at the University of North Carolina, he moved to Canada in 1969. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario....
called it one of the five best novels of the twentieth century. Sixteen years later, the novel would become a bestseller in France. Indeed, his work is highly regarded in France, where he's often cited as being one of the world's pre-eminent writers.
Extraordinary praise also awaited the publication of his third novel, The Kinkajou. The Timekeeper won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for fiction and is currently being developed for film. A ninth novel, The Earth in its Devotion, is forthcoming soon.
City of Ice, written under the penname John Farrow, has been published in 17 countries and the film option sold. The Vancouver Sun called the book the best ever produced in Canada in genre fiction. The second in the series, Ice Lake, caused the New York library journal Booklist to claim that the series is among the very best in crime fiction today.
In 2002, Trevor Ferguson's first play, Long, Long, Short, Long was produced by infinitheatre (directed Guy Sprung) in Montreal and has become the first English play in history to be nominated by l'académie québécoise du theatre for a Masque award for best text. It returned to the stage in French in the fall of 2005, at Place des Arts in Montreal, and was seen by more than 20,000 people. His second play, Beach House, Burnt Sienna, was chosen to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Village Theatre West in Hudson in 2002. Co-produced with infinitheatre (dir. Guy Sprung), it enjoyed a highly successful run. A third play, Barnacle Wood, was produced in Montreal, also by infinitheatre, in March 2004. His fourth play, Zarathustra Said Some Things, No? opens with the Bridge Theatre Company at Studio 54 in New York City, in April, 2006.
Trevor Ferguson is a Past-Chair of The Writers' Union of Canada
Writers' Union of Canada
The Writers' Union of Canada , founded in 1973, describes itself as supporting "the country's authors by advocating for their rights, freedoms, and economic well-being." Its members are professional writers who must have published at least one book through a commercial publisher.The Union addresses...
. He has been a Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, an invité d'honneur at the Salon des Livres in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and he was among the Quebec authors invited as special guests of the Paris Book Fair in 1999. In 2002, he was one of the few Canadian writers invited to the Festival of the Americas in Paris. Also in 2002, he served on the faculty of the May Writers’ Studio at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He frequently teaches creative writing at Concordia University, and resides in Montreal.
Novels
- High Water Chants - 1977
- Onyx John - 1985
- The Kinkajou - 1989
- The True Life Adventures of Sparrow Drinkwater - 1993
- The Timekeeper - 1995
- The Fire Line - 1995
- City of Ice (as John Farrow) - 1999
- Ice Lake (as John Farrow) - 2001
- River City (as John Farrow) - 2011
Plays
- Long Long Short Long (2002)
- Beach House, Burnt Sienna (2002)
- Barnacle Wood (2004)
- Zarathustra Said Some Things, No? (2006, New York; 2009, Montreal)