Todd Babiak is a Canadian writer and entrepreneur living in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Career

He is CEO of Brand Tasmania, a co-founder of Story Engine and Places are People, and has published several bestselling novels. His first novel, ''Choke Hold'', was a finalist for 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 ...

and a winner of the Henry Kreisel Award, and his second novel, ''The Garneau Block'', was a longlisted nominee for the

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) 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 c ...

, won the City of Edmonton Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Alberta Book Award for best novel. ''The Garneau Block'' was later adapted for the stage by Canadian actress and playwright Belinda Cornish, premiering in September 2021 at the

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

, in Edmonton. ''The Book of Stanley'' is in development as a television series. His screenplay ''The Great One'', co-authored with Jason Margolis, won a Praxis Screenwriting Fellowship. His fourth novel, ''Toby: A Man'', was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

in January 2010. It was shortlisted for the

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, publis ...

and won the Georges Bugnet Award for best work of fiction by an Alberta author. He was, for 10 years, a columnist at the ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

''. ''Come Barbarians'', his fifth novel, a literary thriller set in France, was published in late 2013 by

. It was chosen as a 2013 ''

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 more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' best book. Its sequel, ''Son of France: A Christopher Kruse Novel'' was published in 2016 by

. Babiak's latest novel, ''The Empress of Idaho'', was published by

McClelland and Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. History It was founded ...

in 2019. In October 2021, McClelland and Stewart will publish Babiak's next book, ''The Spirit's Up'', a Christmas novel, in Canada and the United States.

Works

* ''Choke Hold'' (2000) * ''The Garneau Block'' (2006) * ''The Book of Stanley'' (2007) * ''Toby: A Man'' (2010) * ''Come Barbarians'' (2013) * ''Son of France: A Christopher Kruse Novel'' (2016) * ''The Empress of Idaho'' (2019)

References

External links

Todd Babiak
Canadian male novelists Canadian humour columnists Living people Writers from Edmonton 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) Novelists from Alberta {{Canada-novelist-stub