David Bergen
Bergen at the Eden Mills Writers Festival in 2013
Bergen at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2013
Born (1957-01-14) January 14, 1957
Port Edward, British Columbia, Canada
OccupationNovelist, short story writer
GenreLiterary fiction
Notable worksThe Matter with Morris; A Year of Lesser; The Case of Lena S.; The Time in Between

David Bergen (born January 14, 1957) is a Canadian novelist. He has published eleven novels and two collections of short stories since 1993 and is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[1][2] His 2005 novel The Time in Between won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and he was a finalist again in 2010 (for The Matter With Morris) and 2020 (for Here the Dark), making the long list in 2008 (for The Retreat).[1]

Life and career

Bergen was born on January 14, 1957, in Port Edward, a small fishing village in British Columbia, Canada, and later grew up in the small town of Niverville, Manitoba.[3] He went to Bible college in British Columbia and Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he studied creative communication. He taught English and Creative Writing at Winnipeg's Kelvin High School until 2002.[3]

Raised Mennonite,[2] Bergen has noted that the tendency of the church to stifle questions and criticism affected his decision to write fiction. "Writing is a way of figuring things out," he says. "If you can't ask certain questions in church, maybe you can ask them in fiction."[3]

His debut novel, A Year of Lesser in 1996, was a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. His 2002 novel The Case of Lena S. was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction, and won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. It was also a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

His 2005 novel The Time in Between won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, received a coveted starred review in the Kirkus Reviews trade magazine, and was recently longlisted for the 2007 International Dublin Literary Award. In 2008, he published his fifth novel, The Retreat, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and which won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction. In 2010, he was shortlisted again for the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his sixth novel, The Matter with Morris, which was also shortlisted for the 2012 International Dublin Literary Award.[4]

He is also the author of a collection of short fiction, Sitting Opposite My Brother (1993), which was a finalist for the Manitoba Book of the Year. His most recent short story collection, Here the Dark, was published in 2020,[5] and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize[6] and the 2021 ReLit Award for short fiction.[7]

His 2023 novel Away from the Dead was longlisted for the Giller Prize.[8]

Bibliography

Novels

  • A Year of Lesser, HarperCollins Canada, 1996
  • See the Child, HarperCollins Canada, 1999
  • The Case of Lena S., McClelland & Stewart, 2002
  • The Time in Between, McClelland & Stewart, 2005
  • The Retreat, McClelland & Stewart, 2008
  • The Matter With Morris, HarperCollins Canada, 2010
  • The Age of Hope, HarperCollins Canada, 2012
  • Leaving Tomorrow, HarperCollins Canada, 2014
  • Stranger, HarperCollins Canada, 2016
  • Out of Mind, Goose Lane Editions, 2021
  • Away from the Dead, 2023

Short stories

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 Ahearn, Victoria (2020-10-05). "David Bergen, Shani Mootoo make Scotiabank Giller Prize short list". Winnipeg. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  2. 1 2 "Winnipegger David Bergen's novels are infused with his Mennonite upbringing". thestar.com. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  3. 1 2 3 The Canadian Encyclopedia
  4. ↑ "The Matter with Morris by David Bergen: Review". thestar.com. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  5. ↑ "47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020". CBC Books, February 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ "3 novels, 2 short story collections shortlisted for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize". CBC Books, October 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ "38 books shortlisted for 2021 ReLit Awards". CBC Books, April 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "12 Canadian books make longlist for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize". CBC Books, September 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Ben Sigurdson (May 20, 2021). "Bergen wins book of the year a fourth time". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
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