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Edition 17 (2005) Winner
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Edition 24 (2012) Winner
David Bezmozgis
デイヴィッド・ベズモジス
David Bezmozgis
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1973-06-02 （Riga, Latvia）
- Nationality
- Latvian, Canadian
- Languages
- English, Latvian
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Riga, Latvia → Toronto, Canada → Los Angeles, USA (study) → Toronto, Canada - residence and base
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Educator
- Active Years
- 1999-
- Affiliations
- Humber College (Head of the School for Writers)
- Nominations
- Guardian First Book Award (2004), Governor General's Awards (2004), Borders Original Voices Award (2004), Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (2004), Scotiabank Giller Prize — The Free World (2011), Scotiabank Giller Prize — The Betrayers (2014), Giller Prize — Immigrant City (2019), Governor General's Literary Award (English-language fiction) — The Free World (2011), Amazon.ca First Novel Award (2011) — The Free World
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGill University | Faculty of Arts | Department of English | B.A. | — | Canada |
| University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema-Television | School of Cinema-Television | — | M.F.A. | — | United States |
McGill University
Faculty of Arts
/ Department of English
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
Canada
Studied English literature
University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema-Television
School of Cinema-Television
Degree:
M.F.A.
Country:
United States
Studied film-making and screenwriting (MFA)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | National Magazine Awards — Silver Medal (Fiction) | Minyan | — | National Magazine Awards | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award (Fiction) | Natasha and Other Stories | フィクション | Koffler Centre of the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Reform Judaism Prize for Jewish Fiction | — | — | Reform Judaism | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Commonwealth First Book Prize (Caribbean/Canada) | Natasha and Other Stories | — | Commonwealth Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Danuta Gleed Literary Award | Natasha and Other Stories | 最優秀処女短篇集 | Writers' Union of Canada | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | City of Toronto Book Award | — | — | City of Toronto | 受賞 |
| 2005 | JQ Wingate Prize | Natasha and Other Stories | フィクション | JQ Wingate | 受賞 |
| 2010 | New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellowship | — | — | New York Public Library | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Edward Lewis Wallant Award | The Betrayers | — | University of Hartford / Greenberg Center | 受賞 |
| 2015 | National Jewish Book Award | The Betrayers | — | Jewish Book Council | 受賞 |
National Magazine Awards — Silver Medal (Fiction)
2003
Work:
Minyan
Organization:
National Magazine Awards
Result:
受賞
Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award (Fiction)
2005
Work:
Natasha and Other Stories
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Koffler Centre of the Arts
Result:
受賞
Reform Judaism Prize for Jewish Fiction
2004
Organization:
Reform Judaism
Result:
受賞
Commonwealth First Book Prize (Caribbean/Canada)
2004
Work:
Natasha and Other Stories
Organization:
Commonwealth Foundation
Result:
受賞
Danuta Gleed Literary Award
2005
Work:
Natasha and Other Stories
Category:
最優秀処女短篇集
Organization:
Writers' Union of Canada
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2005
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
City of Toronto Book Award
2005
Organization:
City of Toronto
Result:
受賞
JQ Wingate Prize
2005
Work:
Natasha and Other Stories
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
JQ Wingate
Result:
受賞
New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellowship
2010
Organization:
New York Public Library
Result:
受賞
Edward Lewis Wallant Award
2014
Work:
The Betrayers
Organization:
University of Hartford / Greenberg Center
Result:
受賞
National Jewish Book Award
2015
Work:
The Betrayers
Organization:
Jewish Book Council
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Danuta Gleed Literary Award
1 appearances
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Edition 8 (2005) Winner
Edward Lewis Wallant Award
1 appearances
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Edition 40 (2014) Winner
Works
Major Works
Natasha and Other Stories
2004 Short story collectionA collection of short stories dealing with migration, family and Jewish identity; includes the title story "Natasha."
ImmigrationIdentityFamily
The Free World
2011 NovelA novel set in Italy in 1978 chronicling the experiences of Jewish refugees from the USSR and their relationships.
RefugeesMemoryImmigrant experience
The Betrayers
2014 NovelA novel about a famous Russian-Jewish dissident who meets the man who denounced him after the fall of the Soviet Union, exploring betrayal and memory.
BetrayalPolitics and personal historyMemory
Immigrant City
2019 Short story collectionA short story collection focusing on immigrant experiences and the lives and struggles of migrants and their descendants.
ImmigrationIntergenerational dividesAssimilation
Bibliography
- Natasha and Other Stories (2004)
- The Free World (2011)
- The Betrayers (2014)
- Immigrant City (2019)
Adaptations
- Natasha (film, 2015)
- Victoria Day (film, 2009)
- Charlotte (screenplay co-written, 2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Cool, precise descriptionIntrospective narration that digs into characters' inner livesCombination of humor and pathos
- Recurring Motifs
- Immigrant experienceJewish identityIntergenerational tensionFamily memory
Legacy
Regarded as a writer and filmmaker who incisively depicts immigration and Jewish identity; he has received and been shortlisted for multiple international awards in both short and long forms. He is a prominent figure in Canadian literature and film and is involved in supporting emerging writers.
In Popular Culture
- His films have screened at several international film festivals and his work has been featured at Canadian film and literary festivals.
Trivia
- Born in Riga in 1973; moved to Canada with his family at age six.
- Named one of The New Yorker's "Top 20 Fiction Writers Under 40" in 2010.
- As of 2014 he was married and had three children.