Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic
2 appearances
-
Edition 14 (2011) Winner
Guy Gavriel Kay
がい・がうりえる・けい
Guy Gavriel Kay
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1954-11-07 （Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada）
- Nationality
- Canada
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada → Oxford, United Kingdom → Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Career
- Occupations
- writer, scriptwriter, lawyer
- Active Years
- 1984-
- Affiliations
- CBC Radio, CBC Television
- Influenced By
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Nominations
- Several nominations for Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, Four nominations for World Fantasy Award, Multiple nominations for Sunburst Award, including Lord of Emperors (2001), The Last Light of the Sun (2005), Under Heaven (2011), River of Stars (2014)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Manitoba | Philosophy | Philosophy | BA | 1970s | Canada |
| University of Toronto | — | Law | LLB | 1975-1978 | Canada |
University of Manitoba
Philosophy
/ Philosophy
Degree:
BA
Period:
1970s
Year of Graduation:
1975
Country:
Canada
Bachelor's degree in philosophy
University of Toronto
Law
Degree:
LLB
Period:
1975-1978
Year of Graduation:
1978
Country:
Canada
Bachelor of Laws, called to the bar in Ontario in 1981
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Prix Aurora Award | The Wandering Fire | English category | Canadian SF and Fantasy Awards | Winner |
| 1991 | Aurora Award | Tigana | Best Novel | — | Winner |
| 2008 | World Fantasy Award | Ysabel | Best Novel | — | Winner |
| 2014 | Order of Canada | — | — | — | Member |
| 2017 | Prix Elbakin | River of Stars | — | — | Winner |
| 2011 | Sunburst Award | Under Heaven | — | — | Winner |
Prix Aurora Award
1987
Work:
The Wandering Fire
Category:
English category
Organization:
Canadian SF and Fantasy Awards
Result:
Winner
Aurora Award
1991
Work:
Tigana
Category:
Best Novel
Result:
Winner
World Fantasy Award
2008
Work:
Ysabel
Category:
Best Novel
Result:
Winner
Order of Canada
2014
Result:
Member
Prix Elbakin
2017
Work:
River of Stars
Result:
Winner
Sunburst Award
2011
Work:
Under Heaven
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Fionavar Tapestry
1984 Portal fantasyFive travel from Earth to 'the first of all worlds' in a portal fantasy trilogy
historymemorymyth
Translations
- Translated into at least 22 languages
Tigana
1990 Historical fantasySet in a Renaissance Italy analogue
loss of memoryresistance
Ysabel
2007 Contemporary fantasyTeenage boy in Provence encounters past figures
past and present
Bibliography
- The Summer Tree (1984), The Wandering Fire (1986), The Darkest Road (1986), Tigana (1990), A Song for Arbonne (1992), The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995), Sailing to Sarantium (1998), Lord of Emperors (2000), The Last Light of the Sun (2004), Ysabel (2007), Under Heaven (2010), River of Stars (2013), Children of Earth and Sky (2016), A Brightness Long Ago (2019), All the Seas of the World (2022), Written on the Dark (2025), Beyond This Dark House (poetry, 2003)
Translations of Works
- Works translated into at least 22 languages
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Fictional settings resembling real historical periodsRich character developmentPoetic prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Echoes of historyMemory and identityCultural clashes
Legacy
Canadian fantasy writer known for historical fantasy. Published 16 novels and poetry. Translated into 22+ languages. Multiple awards including World Fantasy Award and Order of Canada.
In Popular Culture
- Known for assisting Christopher Tolkien on The Silmarillion
Trivia
- Assisted Christopher Tolkien in editing The Silmarillion in Oxford in 1974
- Father was a Polish Jewish immigrant doctor, mother an artist
- Qualified lawyer in Canada
- Principal writer for CBC's Scales of Justice