Giller Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (2002) Winner
Austin Ardinel Chesterfield "Tom" Clarke
オースティン・クラーク
Ōsutīn Ārdineru Chesutāfīrudo "Tom" Kurāku
Aliases:
Tom Clarke
Pen Names:
Tom Clarke（Used as a familiar or colloquial name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1934-07-26 （Saint James, Barbados）
- Died
- 2016-06-26 （Toronto, Ontario, Canada） age 81
- Nationality
- Barbadian, Canadian
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Anglican (Church of England)
- Residence History
- Saint James, Barbados → Toronto, Ontario, Canada → Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, essayist, short story writer, journalist, educator
- Active Years
- 1960-2016
- Affiliations
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, Concordia University (writer-in-residence), University of Western Ontario (writer-in-residence), Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
- Influenced By
- British and Caribbean literary traditions
- Influenced
- George Elliott Clarke, Dionne Brand and other generations of Black Canadian writers
- Nominations
- Governor General's Award nominee (The Question, 2000)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity College, University of Toronto | — | — | — | 1955–1957 | Canada |
| Anglican schools (Barbados) | — | — | — | 1939–1954 | Barbados |
Trinity College, University of Toronto
Period:
1955–1957
Country:
Canada
Moved to Canada in 1955 and attended Trinity College for two years
Anglican schools (Barbados)
Period:
1939–1954
Country:
Barbados
Received early education in Anglican schools in Barbados
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Casa de las Américas Prize | — | — | Casa de las Américas | Winner |
| 1992 | Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature | — | Lifetime Achievement | Toronto Arts Council | Winner |
| 1997 | Frontier College Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | Frontier College | Winner |
| 1998 | Member of the Order of Canada | — | — | Governor General of Canada (Order of Canada) | Member |
| 1999 | Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award | — | — | Black Theatre Workshop (or related organizations) | Winner |
| 1999 | W. O. Mitchell Literary Prize | — | — | — | Winner |
| 2002 | Giller Prize | The Polished Hoe | — | Giller Prize committee | Winner |
| 2003 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize | The Polished Hoe | — | Commonwealth Foundation | Winner |
| 2009 | City of Toronto Book Award | More | — | City of Toronto | Winner |
| 2012 | Harbourfront Festival Prize | — | — | Authors at Harbourfront Centre | Winner |
| 1997 | Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize | The Origin of Waves | — | Rogers Writers' Trust | Winner |
Casa de las Américas Prize
1980
Organization:
Casa de las Américas
Result:
Winner
Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature
1992
Category:
Lifetime Achievement
Organization:
Toronto Arts Council
Result:
Winner
Frontier College Lifetime Achievement Award
1997
Organization:
Frontier College
Result:
Winner
Member of the Order of Canada
1998
Organization:
Governor General of Canada (Order of Canada)
Result:
Member
Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award
1999
Organization:
Black Theatre Workshop (or related organizations)
Result:
Winner
W. O. Mitchell Literary Prize
1999
Result:
Winner
Giller Prize
2002
Work:
The Polished Hoe
Organization:
Giller Prize committee
Result:
Winner
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
2003
Work:
The Polished Hoe
Organization:
Commonwealth Foundation
Result:
Winner
City of Toronto Book Award
2009
Work:
More
Organization:
City of Toronto
Result:
Winner
Harbourfront Festival Prize
2012
Organization:
Authors at Harbourfront Centre
Result:
Winner
Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
1997
Work:
The Origin of Waves
Organization:
Rogers Writers' Trust
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (2003) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Polished Hoe
2002 Novel 192 pagesSet on a Caribbean plantation, the novel uses a woman's testimony to probe colonialism, race, gender and memory. A compact, powerful work about revenge, atonement and the personal dimensions of history.
colonialismmemoryracegenderrevenge and atonement
The Origin of Waves
1997 Novel 240 pagesA novel addressing migration, nostalgia and generational divides, exploring themes of memory and identity.
migrationnostalgiaidentity
More
2008 Novel 224 pagesA novel about urban life and personal conflict, including stories of immigrants and their generations based in Toronto.
urban lifeimmigrant experiencefamily
'Membering
2015 Memoir 256 pagesA memoir collecting recollections from childhood through immigrant experiences and fragments of a writer's life.
memorymigrationfood culture
Bibliography
- The Survivors of the Crossing (1964)
- Amongst Thistles and Thorns (1965)
- The Meeting Point (1967)
- Storm of Fortune (1973)
- The Bigger Light (1975)
- The Prime Minister (1977)
- Proud Empires (1986)
- The Origin of Waves (1997)
- The Question (1999)
- The Polished Hoe (2002)
- More (2008)
- Where the Sun Shines Best (2013)
- In Your Crib (2015)
- 'Membering (2015)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- blend of realism and lyrical narrationtestimonial first-person voiceessayistic elements focusing on social themes
- Recurring Motifs
- memorymigration and diasporafood and culinary memoryrace and classlegacy of colonialism
Legacy
Austin Clarke was a major Caribbean-Canadian writer who explored immigrant and Black experiences in English-language literature. With awards including the Giller Prize, he left a significant mark on Canadian letters and was recognized for mentoring younger writers and contributing to academic and public institutions.
Archives
- Austin Clarke fonds - McMaster University Library
Quotes
-
"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."
Source: Harbourfront Festival Prize announcement (2012) (2012)
Trivia
- Ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1977 Ontario general election.
- Became a Canadian citizen in 1981.
- Often known by the familiar name 'Tom'.