World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Thomas King

トマス・キング

Thomas King

Aliases: Thomas Hunt King / Tom King
Pen Names: Hartley GoodWeather（Used as a pen name for the DreadfulWater mystery series）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-04-24 （Roseville, California, United States）
Nationality
United States, Canada
Languages
English
Residence History
Roseville, California (birthplace) → New Zealand (worked as a photojournalist) → Guelph, Ontario (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Broadcast presenter, Activist, Academic, Scriptwriter
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
University of Lethbridge - taught Native studies (early 1980s), University of Minnesota - faculty, American Indian Studies department, University of Guelph - Professor (retired), Professor Emeritus, School of English and Theatre Studies
Nominations
1992 Governor General's Award (children's literature) nominee: A Coyote Columbus Story, 1993 Governor General's Award (fiction) nominee: Green Grass, Running Water, 2013 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction finalist: The Inconvenient Indian, 2014 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature finalist: The Inconvenient Indian, 2020 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize shortlist: Indians on Vacation, 2020 Governor General's Literary Awards (English-language fiction) nominee: Indians on Vacation

Education

Chico State University
Degree: 学士号
Country: United States
Chico State University
Film studies
Degree: 修士号
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: United States
MA thesis (1971) was on film studies
University of Utah
English
Degree: 博士号 (PhD)
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: United States
PhD dissertation explored Native American studies and oral storytelling as literature, one of the early works on the topic

Awards

Order of Canada (Member)
2004
Organization: Order of Canada
Result: 受章（Member）
Order of Canada (Companion)
2020
Organization: Order of Canada
Result: 受章（Companion）
RBC Taylor Prize
2014
Work: The Inconvenient Indian
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: RBC Taylor Prize
Result: 受賞
Governor General's Award for English-language fiction
2014
Work: The Back of the Turtle
Category: フィクション
Organization: Governor General's Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
2021
Work: Indians on Vacation
Category: ユーモア
Organization: Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal
Result: 受賞
McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year Award
2006
Work: A Short History of Indians in Canada
Organization: McNally Robinson
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Medicine River

1990 Novel (Fiction)

Set in a small Indigenous community, it warmly follows the returning protagonist's relationships and community life.

Indigenous cultureCommunityReturn/homecomingHumour

Green Grass, Running Water

1993 Postmodern novel / Trickster literature

A layered novel blending Coyote trickster figures and Indigenous myths with contemporary characters, mixing humour and social critique.

Trickster traditionOral storytellingCultural identityHumour and satire
Adaptations
  • [Radio show (elements adapted from the work)] The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour (radio) (1997)

The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative

2003 Non-fiction (lectures/essays)

Based on the 2003 Massey Lectures, this collection of essays discusses oral storytelling, the power of stories, and how they shape culture and history.

Power of oral traditionStories and historyIndigenous perspectives

The Inconvenient Indian

2012 Non-fiction (cultural history/critique)

A critical overview of the history and relations of Indigenous peoples and colonialism in North America, focusing on land and policy issues.

Land and colonialismIndigenous rightsRe-examining history
Adaptations
  • [Documentary film] Inconvenient Indian / Michelle Latimer (2020)

The Back of the Turtle

2014 Novel (Fiction)

A novel addressing environmental destruction, guilt and redemption, depicting personal and communal recovery from an Indigenous perspective.

Environmental issuesRedemption and recoveryIndigenous perspective

Indians on Vacation

2020 Novel (Fiction, with humour)

A travel-themed novel that, with humour, explores contemporary Indigenous relationships and identity. Won the Stephen Leacock Medal in 2021.

IdentityCultural frictionHumour

DreadfulWater series — Dreadful Water Shows Up

2002 Mystery (detective fiction)

A detective series published under the pen name Hartley GoodWeather, featuring mysteries set against Indigenous community and social issues.

MysteryCommunitySocial issues

Bibliography

  • Medicine River
  • A Coyote Columbus Story
  • Green Grass, Running Water
  • One Good Story, That One
  • Borders
  • Coyote Sings to the Moon
  • Truth and Bright Water
  • The Truth About Stories
  • Coyote's New Suit
  • A Short History of Indians in Canada
  • A Coyote Solstice Tale
  • The Inconvenient Indian
  • The Back of the Turtle
  • 77 Fragments of Familiar Ruin
  • Indians on Vacation
  • Sufferance
  • Aliens on the Moon
  • Dreadful Water Shows Up
  • The Red Power Murders
  • Cold Skies
  • A Matter of Malice
  • Obsidian
  • Deep House
  • Double Eagle
  • Black Ice

Adaptations

  • Four Directions (CBC Television, 1996) - story editor / occasional writer
  • The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour (CBC Radio, 1997–2000) - radio show using elements from Green Grass, Running Water
  • I'm Not the Indian You Had in Mind (short film, 2007) - written and directed by Thomas King
  • Inconvenient Indian (documentary, 2020) - adapted from The Inconvenient Indian, directed by Michelle Latimer

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Conversational tone incorporating oral storytelling structuresHumorous and satirical voice influenced by trickster traditionsBlend of essayistic and narrative forms
Recurring Motifs
Coyote (trickster)Power and truth of storiesLand and colonialismIdentity and belonging

Health

  • Knee injury (sustained during brief US Navy service)
    海軍在籍時（1960年代）
    Medically discharged from the US Navy, which affected subsequent career path

Legacy

Thomas King has connected Indigenous oral traditions with contemporary literature and become a major voice in Indigenous literature in Canada and North America. His blend of humour and sharp social critique has had significant impact in both literary and public spheres.

Archives

  • Archives of Thomas King (R15938) - held at Library and Archives Canada

In Popular Culture

  • The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour gained popularity on radio and brought Indigenous satire and cultural expression to a wider audience
  • The Inconvenient Indian was adapted into a documentary, bringing the book's discussions to film audiences

Quotes

  • The issue has always been land. It will always be land, until there isn't a square foot of land left in North America that is controlled by Native people.
    Source: The Inconvenient Indian (2012) (2012)

Trivia

  • He self-identifies as being of Cherokee, Greek, and German descent.
  • Served briefly in the US Navy and was medically discharged because of a knee injury.
  • Worked various jobs in his youth including ambulance driver, bank teller, and as a photojournalist in New Zealand.
  • Selected to deliver the 2003 Massey Lectures; the lectures were published as The Truth About Stories (he was the first self-identifying Indigenous Massey lecturer).
  • Entered politics as the NDP candidate in Guelph for the 2008 federal election (did not win).
  • Partner Helen Hoy; they have three children: Christian, Benjamin and Elizabeth.