Lawrence hill biography

Canadian novelist, essayist, and memoirist (born 1957)

For the suburb manage Bracknell in the UK, musical Lawrence Hill, Bracknell Forest. Tail the inner city area sell Bristol, UK, see Lawrence Elevation, Bristol.

Lawrence Hill (born January 24, 1957) is a Canadian penman, essayist, and memoirist.^[1] He psychiatry known for his 2007 account The Book of Negroes, ecstatic by the Black Loyalists predisposed freedom and resettled in Idol Scotia by the British aft the American Revolutionary War, countryside his 2001 memoir Black Drupelet, Sweet Juice: On Being Swart and White in Canada.^[2]The Finished of Negroes was adapted home in on a TV mini-series produced fall 2015.

He was selected interject 2013 for the Massey Lectures: he drew from his non-fiction book Blood: The Stuff provide Life, published that year. Surmount ten books include other non-fiction and fictional works, and cruel have been translated into on languages and published in several other countries.

Hill was provincial in Newmarket, Ontario, to include American couple who had immigrated to Toronto from Washington, D.C., in 1953.

His father was black and his mother was white.^[3] Hill served as stool of the jury for honesty 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize.^[4]

Personal sure and education

Hill was born wear 1957 in Newmarket, Ontario, loftiness second son of Daniel Misty. and Donna Mae (Bender) Elevation, an interracial American couple who had married in 1953 stake settled in Toronto, where queen father was completing his degree in sociology at the Doctrine of Toronto.^[5] His father, a-one sociologist, civil servant and upbeat, later became the first president and chairperson of the Lake Human Rights Commission.^[6] Daniel Mound also served as the Ombudsman of Ontario.

He published unblended still seminal work about Grey history in Canada: The Autonomy Seekers: Blacks in Early Canada.^[6]

Hill's mother, Donna Mae Bender, came from a white Republican coat in Oak Park, Illinois, swallow graduated from Oberlin College. She met his father in President, D.C., where she worked on a Democratic US Senator dispatch became a civil rights activist.^[7][8] In the early 1950s just the thing Toronto, Donna Hill worked introduction a human rights activist grieve for the city's Labor Committee mix Human Rights.

She lobbied probity Ontario government to enact anti-discrimination legislation.^[7] She also wrote cart Black Canadian history; her A Black Man's Toronto, 1914-1980: Nobility Reminiscences of Harry Gairey (1980) was published by the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.^[7]

Daniel crucial Donna Hill co-founded The Lake Black History Society with Geophysicist O.

Brooks and other friends.^[9] Lawrence Hill was born tempt the second son, and grew up with his brother Dan and sister Karen in righteousness predominantly white Toronto suburb incline Don Mills. Dan Hill became a singer-songwriter and writer,^[6] other their sister, the late Karenic Hill (1958-2014), was also graceful writer.

Her novel, short imaginary, poems and an essay disadvantage still to be published.^[10]

Hill's defensive grandfather and great grandfather were university-educated, ordained ministers of glory African Methodist Episcopal Church.^[11] Tidiness was founded in Philadelphia, University in 1816 as the control independent black denomination in depiction United States.

After attending character University of Toronto Schools, Dune earned a B.A in business from Laval University in Quebec City. He moved temporarily run into the United States to bear an M.A. in writing vary Johns Hopkins University in Metropolis, Maryland.^[12]

Lawrence Hill presently lives set about his second wife, the man of letters Miranda Hill, in Hamilton, Lake, and in Woody Point, Island.

He has four daughters soar a son. He has momentary and worked in Baltimore, Maryland; Spain, and France.^[13]

Career

Hill taught expert fiction writing while completing emperor M.A. at Johns Hopkins.^[14] Owing to completing that program, he requited to Canada, where he has taught creative writing or mentored creative writers in numerous mature education programs.^[15] These have tendency The Becoming Ground program soft the University of British River, the Humber School for Writers, Sage Hill Writing Experience, become calm The Banff Centre.^[16]

Hill has additionally served numerous times on juries granting literary awards or script book grants.

He has frequently blunt at academic and social conferences, literary festivals, libraries, universities prosperous high schools across Canada,^[17] integrity United States,^[18] Mexico,^[19] Europe, Southern America, South Africa, the Sea and Australia.^[20]

He is a Elder Fellow at Massey College turnup for the books the University of Toronto.^[11][21] Significance of September 2016, Hill testing affiliated with the University ensnare Guelph.^[13]

Writing career

Hill's first passion was running, but he was not up to to realize his dreams have available becoming an elite athlete lecture winning an Olympic gold colours in the 5,000 meters.^[13] Good taste threw himself into writing bind his teenage years and fit his first story at justness early age of 14.^[13] Sustenance receiving his B.A.

in money at Laval University, Hill hurt for four years as dialect trig full-time newspaper reporter for The Globe and Mail, and succeeding for The Winnipeg Free Press.^[3][22]

He became the parliamentary bureau leading for the newspaper in Algonquian, covering Parliament, the Supreme Deadly of Canada and a chasmal range of cultural, economic deed social issues.^[22] Resigning from cap position as parliamentary bureau important in 1986, Hill moved view Spain to begin writing tale full-time.^[13]

The work of his parents in the human rights augment and Black history greatly moved Hill's work related to oneness and belonging as a novelist.

Hill curated and wrote description exhibit on his father back the Ontario Archives, called The Freedom Seeker: The Life viewpoint Times of Daniel G. Hill.^[7]

Hill's nonfiction books include Trials present-day Triumphs: The Story of African-Canadians (1993), Women of Vision: Leadership Story of the Canadian Coloured Women's Association (1996), his report Black Berry, Sweet Juice: Rumination Being Black and White joy Canada (2001), The Deserter's Tale: The Story of An Phenomenal Soldier Who Walked Away evade the War in Iraq (2007), Dear Sir, I Intend side Burn Your Book: An Autopsy of a Book Burning (2013), and Blood: The Stuff break into Life (2013).

Hill's fictional productions include Some Great Thing (1992), Any Known Blood (1997),The Whole of Negroes (2007), and The Illegal (2015), which brought her majesty work to broad public keeping and won numerous awards.^[12]

Published schedule at least ten countries, The Book of Negroes won not too awards, including the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, both CBC Radio's Canada Reads and Radio-Canada's Le Combat des livres, service the Commonwealth Writers' Prize will Best Book.^[11] The novel has been chosen by community restricted academic reading programs as calligraphic central work for discussion excel Dalhousie University (twice),^[23]Trent University, character Calgary Public Library,^[24] The Metropolis of Rothesay (NB),^[25] the Lady Public Library^[26] and the Look after Book One Community program combine Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, Ontario.^[27]

The Book of Negroes was appointed as a six-part television miniseries.

Hill co-wrote it with bumptious Clement Virgo. The series featured actors Aunjanue Ellis, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Louis Gossett Jr.^[28] Filmed in South Africa, Brilliant Scotia, and Ontario in trustworthy 2014, the miniseries premiered think about it Cannes, Toronto and New Royalty City in the fall hold sway over 2014, began to air deformity CBC Television in Canada engage January 2015, and was out of order to air on BET show the US in February 2015.^{[29][30][31][32]}

Although Hill's novel The Book ad infinitum Negroes was first released fence in 2007 by W.

W. Norton & Company under the christen Someone Knows My Name;^[33] integrity American publisher re-issued a additional edition of the novel examine the original title in Jan 2015 to build on magnanimity mini-series. BET has committed humble releasing the TV miniseries hem in the US as The Put your name down for of Negroes.^[34]HarperCollins Australia published that novel as Someone Knows Disheartened Name in Australia and Spanking Zealand.

Hill's short fiction has been featured in the academic quarterlies Descant and Exile, by the same token well as in Canadian newspapers and magazines such as The Toronto Star and Toronto Life.^[13]The Walrus published Hill's award-winning proportion "Is Africa's Pain Black America's Burden",^[35] and a short play a part entitled "Meet You at class Door".^[36] Its January–February 2015 onslaught featured Hill's essay on rendering creative process of adapting The Book of Negroes for illustriousness TV mini-series.^[37]

Hill served as straighten up writer in residence with class Toronto District School Board come across 2011 to 2013, visiting fiercely twenty schools to discuss grandeur art and business of vocabulary with students.^[38]

Hill was selected charge 2013 as CBC Massey Reader.

In the fall of renounce year he delivered lectures play a role five Canadian cities, drawn overexert his non-fiction book Blood: magnanimity Stuff of Life (2013).^[39] Along with aired on CBC Radio, Blood: The Stuff of Life court case a personal consideration of nobleness physical, social, cultural and intellectual aspects of blood, how have round defines, unites and divides us.^[40] In 2015, Blood: The Effects of Life won the Peeress Literary Award for Non Fiction.^[41]

He was named a Member female the Order of Canada magnify 2015.^[42]

His newest novel, The Illegal, was published in fall 2015.^[43] The novel has already antiquated optioned for film treatment hunk Conquering Lion Pictures, the producers of the Book of Negroes miniseries.^[44]The Illegal won the 2016 edition of Canada Reads, assembly Hill the first writer in any case to win the competition twice.^[45]

Translations

French translations have been published by means of Les Éditions de la Pleine Lune in Montreal, Quebec.^[46]

• Aminata (from The Book of Negroes), translated by Carole Noel, 2011.

  Tedious was also published in Sculpturer by Presence Africaine in Paris.

• Un grand destin (from Some Unmitigated Thing), translated by Robert Paquin, 2012.
• Le sang: essence de numbed vie (from Blood: The Play in of Life), translated by Carole Noel, 2014.

Aminata became a bestseller in Quebec, where it won Le combat des livres bend Radio-Canada.

It was along with published by Présence Africaine bolster Paris, France, where it was shortlisted, in 2013, for magnanimity Prix Fetkann.^[47]

The Book of Negroes has been published in decoding in Dutch, Norwegian, German stand for Hebrew.

Activism

Deeply passionate about honesty advancement of women and girls in Africa, Hill has stirred as a volunteer in blue blood the gentry West African countries of River, Cameroon and Mali since 1979.^[48] His first published work pills fiction, a short story indulged "My Side of the Fence," recounted the transformative experience end working in Niger with Turn International.^[49] As an honorary sponsor of Crossroads, in 2010 Comic founded the Aminata Fund, enduring programs for women and girls in developing areas of Africa.^[48] He returned in 2014 primate a Crossroads volunteer in Swaziland.^[50]

In 2007, Hill collaborated with Book Key, a former US-Army unauthorized, to write Key's memoir refreshing serving with the US Horde in the Iraq War fit in 2004.

Key deserted the host and sought refugee status dust Canada in 2005. The Deserter's Tale: the Story of uncorrupted Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Sale from the War in Iraq was published by House bank Anansi Press in Canada.^[51] position United States (Grove Atlantic)^[52] Tedious has been translated and obtainable in more than ten spanking languages or countries.^[53][54]

Hill has antiquated on the advisory council accomplish Book Clubs for Inmates in that 2010.^[55] He has also bent a member of the Senate of Patrons of the Coalblack Loyalist Heritage Society, in Birchtown, Nova Scotia, since 2011.^[56] Dune is an honorary patron cataclysm Project Bookmark Canada since 2012.^[57] He is a member virtuous PEN Canada and an diagnostic member of the Writers' Uniting of Canada, for which smartness has chaired and sat intervening various committees and served bond the National Council.^[58]

Awards and honours

Academic awards and honours

• Doctor of Record (honoris causa), The University bear out Western Ontario, 2017^[59]
• Doctor of Hand (honoris causa), McMaster University, 2016^[11]
• Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), Dalhousie University, 2014^[12]
• Associate Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto, 2014
• Medal of Distinction (honoris causa), Lake University College, 2012^[60]
• Doctor of Writing book (honoris causa), Waterloo University, 2011^[11]
• Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2010^[11]
• Doctor of Copy (honoris causa), University of Toronto, 2010^[11]

Literary awards and honours

• Winner, Port Literary Award, Blood: The Item of Life, 2015^[41]
• Winner, Radio-CanadaLe engagement des livres, Aminata, 2013^[46]
• Shortlist, Prix Fetkann (France), Aminata, 2013^[46]
• Winner, CBC Radio's Canada Reads, The Game park of Negroes, 2009^[13]
• Winner, Commonwealth Writers' Prize, The Book of Negroes, 2008^[13]
• Winner, The Rogers Writers' Jog Fiction Prize, The Book countless Negroes, 2008^[13]
• Longlist, IMPAC Award, The Book of Negroes, 2008^[21]
• Finalist, Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Someone Knows Round the bend Name, 2008^[61]
• Winner, National Magazine Honour (Essay) Is Africa's Pain Jetblack America's Burden?, 2006^[62]

Works

Fiction

Non-fiction

• Trials and Triumphs: The Story of African-Canadians (Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1993)
• Women of Vision: The Story of the Rush Negro Women's Association (Toronto: Protection Press, 1996)
• Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and Snow-white in Canada (Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2001)
• The Deserter's Tale: The Recital of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the Fighting in Iraq, with Joshua Washed out (New York: Atlantic Monthly Neat, 2007; Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2007; Melbourne: Text Bruiting about Co., 2007)
• Dear Sir, I Propose to Burn Your Book: Small Anatomy of a Book Burning (Edmonton: University of Alberta Tamp, 2013)
• Blood: The Stuff of Life (Toronto: House of Anansi Push, 2013)

Television

Film

• Seeking Salvation: A History confiscate the Black Church in Canada, Travesty Productions, Toronto, 2004 (winner of 2005 American Wilbur Jackpot for best national television documentary)

References

Other sources

• "How The Book of Negroes, top-hole profound yet unknown Canadian tall story, became a miniseries", The Universe and Mail, January 3, 2015
• "Chains Unearthed", Literary Review of Canada, May 2014
• "Dad will always 'live within' us", The Toronto Celeb, July 6, 2003

External links