Gregory Hollingshead, CM (born February 25, 1947) is a Canadian
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
. He was formerly a professor of English at the University of Alberta, and he lives 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 C ...
University of Toronto Schools
University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by competitive ex ...
and the University of Toronto.
His 1995 short story collection ''The Roaring Girl'' won 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 ...
and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize. He was named a 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 ...
in 2012.
As a professor with the Department of English & Film Studies, Hollingshead taught creative writing classes for 30 years; he retired as emeritus in 2005. From 2000 to 2018, he directed the Writing Studio at the Banff Centre.
Early life and education
Greg Hollingshead was born 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 C ...
, on February 25, 1947, and he grew up in Woodbridge, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Hollinghead's first publication was in a 1968 anthology of poets from the House of Anansi called ''TO Now''.
Hollingshead later went back to university to complete his Master of Arts in English at the University of Toronto, and by 1975, he had earned his Ph.D. from the University of London.
Career
Hollingshead published his first collection of stories, ''Famous Players'', in 1982. In 1992, he had completed another two publications, ''White Buick'' and ''Spin Dry'', and by 1995, he was awarded the Governor General's Award for Fiction for his story collection, ''The Roaring Girl''.
''The Healer'', his second novel, was published in 1998 and was nominated for the Giller Prize; it won him the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His third novel, ''Bedlam'', was published in 2004 and was listed for several awards, including the Grant MacEwan Author's Award, the Georges Bugnet Award, and the Edmonton Book Prize.
Works
*''Famous Players'' (1982)
*''White Buick'' (1992, winner of the 1993 Howard O'Hagan Award for Short Fiction and shortlisted for the 1993 Commonwealth Writers' Prize in Canada and Caribbean Region)
*''Spin Dry'' (1992, winner of the 1993 Georges Bugnet Award for the Novel and shortlisted for the 1993 Smithbooks/''Books in Canada'' First Novel Award)
*''The Roaring Girl'' (1995, winner of the 1995 Governor General's Award for Fiction and the winner of the 1996 Howard O'Hagan Award for Short Fiction)
*''The Healer'' (1998, selected in the 1998 Maclean's Five Best Books of Fiction, shortlisted for the 1998 Giller Prize, winner of the 1999
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 ...
and the 1999 Georges Bugnet Award for the Novel)
*''Bedlam'' (2004, selected for the 1994 ''Globe 100 ''Books of the Year, shortlisted for the 1994 Commonwealth Prize for Best Book in Caribbean and Canada Region,'' ''shortlisted for the 2005 Grant MacEwan Author's Award, shortlisted for the 2005 Georges Bugnet Award, shortlisted for the 2005 City of Edmonton Book Prize, longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award)
*''Act Normal'' (2015)
Awards
* Howard O'Hagan Award for Short Fiction (1993, 1996)
* Georges Bugnet Award for the Novel (1993, 1999)
* Governor General's Award for Fiction (1995)
* Maclean's Five Best Books of Fiction (1998)
*
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 ...
(1998)
* ''Globe 100 ''Books of the Year (2004)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Gold Medal for Excellence in the Arts (2007)
*