African Canadian Novelists

17 Jan 2012 news 0 Comments

There’s nothing like submitting to present at a conference and learning that your paper (a vague idea in the back of your mind) is due TWO MONTHS before the conference takes place. This month was supposed to be dedicated to working on The Deep, but instead I’ve spent much of my time on the BPP site, a faculty grant application, and now this conference paper. Next up is the academic book proposal—the book I no longer think I want to write because I’ve got at least THREE novels that keep getting pushed back by all this other “stuff.” At any rate, I know some Canadians read this blog so please take a look at my list and let me know if I’ve missed anyone. Does anyone know if Tessa McWatt identifies as black? Not sure what to do about Dany Laferriere; it seems only some of his books are translated from French into English—have I left out lots of black Canadian authors who write in French? I’ve excluded short story collections, though I listed them just for your information. I also found (but did not include) two black women authors, Sophia Shaw and Kayla Perrin, who are based in Canada but seem to publish exclusively with US romance publishers.

African Canadian Novelists (2000-2011)

  1. Dragons Cry by Tessa McWatt (Riverbank Press 2000)
  2. Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill (HarperCollins 2001)
  3. Loving This Man by Althea Prince (Insomniac, 2001)
  4. Behind the Face of Winter by H. Nigel Thomas (TSAR 2001)
  5. Dry Bone Memories by Cecil Foster (Key Porter 2001)
  6. The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera (Random House Canada 2002)
  7. The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke (Thomas Allen 2002)
  8. Kameleon Man by Kim Barry Brunhuber (Beach Holme, 2003)
  9. Kipligat’s Chance by David Odhiambo (Penguin Group Canada 2003)
  10. George & Rue by George Elliott Clarke (HarperCollins 2004)
  11. Waltzes I Have Not Forgotten by Bernadette Dyer (Women’s Press, 2004)
  12. The Second Life of Samuel Tyne by Esi Edugyan (Knopf Canada 2004)
  13. This Body by Tessa McWatt (HarperCollins 2004)
  14. Venous Hum by Suzette Mayr (Arsenal 2005)
  15. What We All Long For by Dionne Brand (Knopf Canada 2005)
  16. The Unfortunate Marriage of Azeb Yitades by Nega Mezlekia (Penguin Canada 2006)
  17. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (HarperCollins 2007)
  18. Return to Arcadia by H. Nigel Thomas (TSAR 2007)
  19. Soucouyant by David Chariandy (Arsenal 2007)
  20. Asylum by Andre Alexis (McClelland & Stewart 2008)
  21. More by Austin Clarke (Thomas Allen 2008)
  22. The Reverend’s Apprentice by David Odhiambo (Arsenal 2008)
  23. Heading South by Dany Laferriere (Douglas & McIntyre 2009)
  24. Doing Dangerously Well by Carole Enahoro (Random House Canada 2010)
  25. I Am a Japanese Writer by Dany Laferriere (Douglas & McIntyre 2010)
  26. Step Closer by Tessa McWatt (HarperCollins 2009)
  27. Dancing Lesson by Olive Senior (Cormorant 2011)
  28. Vital Signs by Tessa McWatt (Random House Canada 2011)
  29. Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (Thomas Allen 2011)
  30. Monoceros by Suzette Mayr (Coach House Books, 2011)
  31. The Return by Dany Laferriere (Douglas & McIntyre 2011)

Total: 31 novels by 20 authors

  1. Lawrence Hill
  2. Makeda Silvera
  3. Austin Clarke
  4. George Elliott Clarke
  5. Esi Edugyan
  6. Tessa McWatt
  7. Suzette Mayr
  8. Dionne Brand
  9. Nega Mezlekia
  10. David Chariandy
  11. Andre Alexis
  12. Dany Laferriere
  13. David Odhiambo
  14. Carole Enahoro
  15. Olive Senior
  16. H. Nigel Thomas
  17. Althea Prince
  18. Bernadette Gabay Dyer
  19. Kim Barry Brunhuber
  20. Cecil Foster

I was quite surprised to reach 20 titles, and I now know that I’ve got some catching up to do in terms of my reading. You may have heard that McClelland & Stewart was recently acquired by Random House. If my list is correct, M&S has only published one black Canadian author in the 21st century, so I won’t be shedding too many tears for them…

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