Ven Begamudré
Encyclopedia
Ven Begamudré is a Canadian writer. He was born in South India and moved with his family to Canada when he was six. He currently divides his time between western Canada and the island of Bali
.
for young adults, and has edited or co-edited several literary collections. He has completed six writer-in-residence appointments including the University of Calgary
’s Markin-Flanagan Distinguished Writers Programme, the University of Alberta
’s Department of English, the Canada-Scotland Exchange, Regina Public Library
, McMaster University
’s Department of English, and the Yukon Public Libraries. He has also taught fiction workshops at the Sage Hill Writing Experience. Most recently he has been teaching at Iowa State University
.
He has a degree in public administration
from Carleton University
and an MFA in creative writing
from Warren Wilson College
in Asheville, N.C. He lives in Regina
, Saskatchewan
and on the island of Bali.
He has also edited Lodestone: Stories by Regina Writers and co-edited Out of Place: Stories and Poems.
Vishnu Dreams, his latest work of fiction (published 9/30/2008), combines Hindu
mythology with he story of a family. Through the veil of Vishnu
's unions with Lakshmi
and his incarnation in the tale of Manu
and the fish, the novel portrays a pair of siblings as they navigate 1960s North American culture under the weight of their emotionally abusive father and ambitious mother.
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
.
Personal profile
In addition to short stories and novels, Begamudré has written a biography of Isaac BrockIsaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
for young adults, and has edited or co-edited several literary collections. He has completed six writer-in-residence appointments including the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
’s Markin-Flanagan Distinguished Writers Programme, 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...
’s Department of English, the Canada-Scotland Exchange, Regina Public Library
Regina Public Library
Regina Public Library is a city-wide library system spread throughout nine locations that serves the citizens of Regina, Saskatchewan by providing an open and accessible environment where anyone can access information for work, study, and recreation...
, McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
’s Department of English, and the Yukon Public Libraries. He has also taught fiction workshops at the Sage Hill Writing Experience. Most recently he has been teaching at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
.
He has a degree in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
and an MFA in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
from Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College is a private four-year work college in the Swannanoa Valley, North Carolina, United States near Asheville. It is known for its curriculum of work, academics, and service, called "the Triad," which requires every student to work an on-campus job, perform at least one hundred...
in Asheville, N.C. He lives in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and on the island of Bali.
Publications
His books include:- Sacrifices, Porcupine's Quill (1986) ISBN 0-88984-071-7
- A Planet of Eccentrics (short stories), Oolichan Books (1990) ISBN 0-88982-100-3
- Van de Graaff Days, Oolichan Books (1993) ISBN 0-88982-126-7
- Laterna Magika (short stories), Oolichan Books (1997) ISBN 0-88982-166-6
- Isaac Brock: Larger than Life (children's biography), XYZ Pubs. (2000) ISBN 0-9683601-7-3
- The Phantom Queen (children's fantasy), Coteau Books (2002) ISBN 1-55050-200-X
- The Lightness Which is Our World, Seen from Afar (poetry), Frontenac House (2006) ISBN 1-89718-102-7
He has also edited Lodestone: Stories by Regina Writers and co-edited Out of Place: Stories and Poems.
Vishnu Dreams, his latest work of fiction (published 9/30/2008), combines Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
mythology with he story of a family. Through the veil of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
's unions with Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
and his incarnation in the tale of Manu
Manu (Hinduism)
In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
and the fish, the novel portrays a pair of siblings as they navigate 1960s North American culture under the weight of their emotionally abusive father and ambitious mother.