David Chariandy
David Chariandy is a writer and critic. His novel Soucouyant was nominated for eleven literary awards including a Governor General’s Award and Giller Prize. His second novel Brother was nominated for fourteen awards and won the 2017 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the Toronto Book Award. His most recent book is a memoir entitled I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter. Chariandy is a frequent writer of articles and book chapters for various publications, co-edits special-issue journals, and sits on the editorial board for the literary journal Brick. He is a professor of English at the University of Toronto.
Writers & Books
Videos
David Chariandy on his award-nominated novel “Brother”
Award History
Jury Citation
“David Chariandy’s Brother is both an exceptional coming of age story and a poignant meditation on love, loss, and humanity. Set in a Scarborough housing complex in Toronto’s infamous east end, this is an account of two brothers, the sons of Trinidadian immigrants, raised alone by their mother. The younger son struggles to make sense of a tragic death and faces the depth of his own grief in a racist world where he is viewed with suspicion and hostility. With stunning lyrical writing, pitch perfect pacing, and unexpected humour, Chariandy creates a world where beauty abounds in the most unexpected spaces and leaves us full of music and hope.” — 2017 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize Jury (Michael Christie, Christy Ann Conlin, and Tracey Lindberg)Juror History
Program History
2019 - Selector
Rising Stars
Selection
Author Selected
Works Recognized by WT