Austin Ardinel Chesterfield "Tom" Clarke, (July 26, 1934 – June 26, 2016), was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer who was based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Among his notable books are novels such as '' The Polished Hoe'' (2002), memoirs including ''Membering'' (2015), and two collections of poetry, ''Where the Sun Shines Best'' (2013) and ''In Your Crib'' (2015).

Early life and education

Austin Clarke was born in 1934 in St. James,

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

, where he received his early education in Anglican schools. He taught at a rural school for three years. In 1955 he moved to Canada and attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

for two years.Murray Whyte
"Acclaimed Toronto author Austin Clarke dead at 81"
''Toronto Star'', June 27, 2016.

Career

Clarke was a reporter at the '' Timmins Daily Press'' and the '' Globe and Mail'' before joining the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

as a freelance journalist. He subsequently taught at several American universities, including

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

(Hoyt fellow, 1968–70),

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

(1971–72), and the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

(visiting professor, 1973) and helped establish black studies programs at several universities."Austin C. Clarke"
Gale Contemporary Black Biography. In 1973 he was designated cultural attaché at the Barbadian embassy in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

. He was later General Manager of the

Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a public radio and television broadcaster, located in The Pine, St. Michael in Barbados. It was founded in 1963 as Radio Barbados. The CBC falls under the ministry and jurisdiction of the Prim ...

in Barbados (1975–77). He was writer in residence at

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

, Montreal, Quebec (1977), and at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

(1978). He became a Canadian citizen in 1981. From 1988 to 1993 he served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. He was not the first Canadian writer of African origin, that distinction belonging to 19th-Century author Amelia E. Johnson. However,

George Elliott Clarke George Elliott Clarke, (born February 12, 1960) is a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic who served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and as the 2016–2017 Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. His work is known larg ...

says that Austin Clarke was "the author of African descent in English, in Canada, that anyone who was interested in being a writer would have to be aware of, to challenge as well." In September 2012, at the International Festival of Authors, Clarke was announced as the winner of the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize "on the merits of his published work and efforts in fostering literary talent in new and aspiring writers". Previous recipients of the award (established in 1984) include:

Dionne Brand Dionne Brand (born 7 January 1953) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from September 2009 to November 2012. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2017Wayson Choy Wayson Choy (崔維新 Pinyin: Cuī Wéixīn ; Jyutping: Ceoi1 Wai4-san1) (April 20, 1939 – April 28, 2019) was a Canadian novelist.

, Christopher Dewdney,

Helen Humphreys Helen Humphreys (born March 29, 1961) is a Canadian poet and novelist. Personal life Humphreys was born in Kingston-on-Thames, England. Her brother Martin and sister Cathy were born after the family moved to Canada. She now lives in Kingsto ...

Paul Quarrington Paul Lewis Quarrington (July 22, 1953 – January 21, 2010) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator. Background Born in Toronto as the middle of three sons in the family of four of Bruce Quarrington,

, Peter Robinson,

Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. ...

Jane Urquhart Jane Urquhart, LL.D (born June 21, 1949) is a Canadian novelist and poet. She is the internationally acclaimed author of seven award-winning novels, three books of poetry and numerous short stories. As a novelist, Urquhart is well known for her e ...

, and

Guy Vanderhaeghe Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe (born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his Western novel trilogy, '' The Englishman's Boy'', ''The Last Crossing'', and ''A Good Man'' set in the 19th-century American and Can ...

. Clarke was reported as saying: "I rejoiced when I saw that Authors at Harbourfront Centre had named me this year's winner of the Harbourfront Festival Prize. I did not come to this city on September 29, 1959, as a writer. I came as a student. However, my career as a writer buried any contention of being a scholar and I thank Authors at Harbourfront Centre for saving me from the more painful life of the 'gradual student.' It is an honour to be part of such a prestigious list of authors." An outspoken intellectual, he avoided talking about ''

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

'', hoping his own term ''omniculturalism'' could be accepted by people from both the political left and right. He ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the

1977 Ontario general election The 1977 Ontario general election was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Premier Bill Davis, was re-elected for an eleventh consecutive term in ...

. Clarke died on June 26, 2016, at the age of 81 in Toronto.

Selected awards and honours

*1980,

Casa de las Américas Prize The Casa de las Américas Prize (''Premio Literario Casa de las Américas'') is a literary award given by the Cuban Casa de las Américas. Established in 1959, it is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes. The award ...

, Cuba *1992, Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature *1997, Lifetime Achievement Award from Frontier College in Toronto *1998, Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. *1999, Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award for Excellence in Writing. *1999, W. O. Mitchell Literary Prize *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition b ...

, for '' The Polished Hoe'' *2003,

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

*2009, Toronto Book Award, for ''More''. *2012, Harbourfront Festival Prize

Bibliography

Novels

*''The Survivors of the Crossing'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1964) *''Amongst Thistles and Thorns'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1965) *''The Meeting Point'' (Toronto: Macmillan, 1967; Boston: Little, Brown, 1972) *''Storm of Fortune'' (Boston: Little, Brown, 1973) *''The Bigger Light'' (Boston: Little, Brown, 1975) *''The Prime Minister'' (Don Mills, Ont.: General Publishing, 1977) *''Proud Empires'' (London: Gollancz, 1986; Penguin-Viking, 1988, ) *''The Origin of Waves'' (McClelland & Stewart, 1997; winner of the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

) *''The Question'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1999; nominated for a

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by th ...

) *'' The Polished Hoe'' (Toronto: Thomas Allen, 2002; winner of the

and the

) *''More'' (2008, winner of the City of Toronto Book Award)

Short story collections

*''When He Was Free and Young and He Used to Wear Silks'' (Toronto: Anansi, 1971; revised edition Little, Brown, 1973) *''When Women Rule'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1985) *''Nine Men Who Laughed'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1986) *''In This City'' (Toronto: Exile Editions, 1992) *''There Are No Elders'' (Toronto: Exile Editions, 1993) *''The Austin Clarke Reader'', ed. Barry Callaghan (Toronto: Exile Editions, 1996) *''Choosing His Coffin: The Best Stories of Austin Clarke'' (Toronto: Thomas Allen, 2003) *''They Never Told Me: and Other Stories'' (Holstein, ON: Exile Editions, 2013) *''Canadian Experience'' (Toronto: Exile Editions, 1994)

Poetry

*''Where the Sun Shines Best'' (Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2013) *''In Your Crib'' (Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2015)

Memoirs

*''Growing Up Stupid Under the Union Jack: a Memoir'' (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1980; Thomas Allen, 2005, ) *"A Stranger In A Strange Land", ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', Toronto, 15 August 1990, p. 30. *''Public Enemies: Police Violence and Black Youth'' (Toronto: HarperCollins, 1992) *''A Passage Back Home: A Personal Reminiscence of Samuel Selvon'' (Toronto: Exile Editions, 1994) *''Pigtails 'n Breadfruit: A Culinary Memoir'' (New Press, 1999); as ''Pigtails 'n' Breadfruit: The Rituals of Slave Food, A Barbadian Memoir'' (Toronto: Random House, 1999; University of Toronto Press, 2001); ''Pig Tails 'n' Breadfruit - Anniversary Edition'' (Ian Randle Publishers, 2014, ) *''Love and Sweet Food: A Culinary Memoir'' (Toronto: Thomas Allen, 2004; ) *''′Membering'' (Toronto:

Dundurn Press Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in prin ...

, 2015)"′Membering" page
at Dundurn.

References

External links

''January magazine'', November 2002.
Austin Clarke's
entry in ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

'' *
"Austin Clarke"
English-Canadian Writers, Athabasca University. *Carol Brennan
"Austin C. Clarke"
Gale Contemporary Black Biography. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Austin 1934 births 2016 deaths Barbadian emigrants to Canada Black Canadian writers Canadian male novelists Canadian male short story writers Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Naturalized citizens of Canada Writers from Toronto University of Toronto alumni Barbadian novelists Barbadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers Concordia University faculty 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Barbadian poets Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections