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Will Ferguson

ウィル・ファーガソン

Wiru Fāgason

Aliases: William Stener Ferguson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1964-10-12 （Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada）
Nationality
Canada
Languages
English
Residence History
Fort Vermilion, Alberta → Red Deer, Alberta → Toronto, Ontario → Kyushu, Japan (Kumamoto) → Calgary, Alberta

Career

Occupations
Writer, Travel writer, Novelist
Active Years
1997-2024
Affiliations
Chawkers Foundation (board of directors)

Education

York University
Film production and screenwriting
Degree: B.F.A. (Special Honours)
Year of Graduation: 1990
Country: Canada

Awards

Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
2002
Work: Generica (later Happiness™)
Organization: Stephen Leacock Associates
Result: Won
Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
2005
Work: Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw
Organization: Stephen Leacock Associates
Result: Won
Scotiabank Giller Prize
2012
Work: 419
Organization: Giller Prize Foundation
Result: Won
Libris Award
2013
Work: 419
Category: Fiction Book of the Year
Result: Won
Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence
2021
Work: The Finder
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Crime Writers of Canada
Result: Won
Alberta Order of Excellence
2024
Organization: Government of Alberta
Result: Member

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

419

2012 Fiction

A novel about the 419 scam.

ScamIdentity

Happiness™

2001 Humour Fiction

A dystopian satire on happiness as a product.

SatireConsumerism

Hitching Rides with Buddha

1998 Travel

Hitchhiking across Japan.

TravelCulture

Why I Hate Canadians

1997 Humour

Humorous essays on Canadian culture.

Canadian cultureReverse culture shock

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw

2004 Travel Humour

Travels across Canada.

CanadaHumour

Bibliography

  • Happiness™ (2001)
  • Spanish Fly (2007)
  • 419 (2012)
  • The Shoe on the Roof (2017)
  • The Finder (2020)
  • I Only Read Murder (2023, with Ian Ferguson)
  • Mystery in the Title (2024, with Ian Ferguson)
  • Killer on the First Page (2025, with Ian Ferguson)
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to Japan (1998)
  • Hokkaido Highway Blues (1998) / Hitching Rides with Buddha (2005)
  • Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw (2004)
  • Beyond Belfast (2009)
  • Road Trip Rwanda (2015)
  • Why I Hate Canadians (1997)
  • How to Be a Canadian (2001, with Ian Ferguson)
  • Canadian Pie (2011)
  • Bastards and Boneheads (1999)
  • Canadian History for Dummies (2000, revised 2005)
  • I was a Teenage Katimavik-victim! (1998)
  • Coal Dust Kisses (2010)
  • The Penguin Anthology of Canadian Humour (2006, editor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
HumorousSatiricalNarrative
Recurring Motifs
Canadian cultureTravelCulture shock

Legacy

Acclaimed Canadian author who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for 419. Known for travel writing and humorous novels.

Trivia

  • Born fourth of six children.
  • Married Japanese wife Terumi Matsumoto in Kumamoto.
  • Son Genki Ferguson and brother Ian Ferguson are also authors.