Guy Gavriel Kay
| Guy Gavriel Kay CM | |
|---|---|
 Kay in 2011 | |
| Born |
November 7, 1954 Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Period | 1984–present |
| Genre | Fantasy, historical fiction |
| Notable works | |
| Website | |
| www.brightweavings.com | |
Guy Gavriel Kay CM (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. Those works are published and marketed as historical fantasy, although Kay has expressed a preference to avoid genre categorization.
As of 2016, Kay has published 13 novels and a book of poetry. As of 2018, his fiction has been translated into more than 30 languages.
Biography
Kay was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
When Christopher Tolkien needed an assistant to edit his father J. R. R. Tolkien's unpublished work, he chose Kay, then a student of philosophy at the University of Manitoba. Kay moved to Oxford in 1974 to assist Tolkien in editing The Silmarillion.[1]
He returned to Canada in 1975 to take a law degree at the University of Toronto. He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1981.
Kay became principal writer and an associate producer for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio series, The Scales of Justice, and continued as principal writer when the series went to television.
In 1984, Kay's first fantasy work, The Summer Tree, the first volume of the trilogy The Fionavar Tapestry, was published.
Works
- The Fionavar Tapestry, concerning five people from our Earth in a parallel world, "the first of all worlds", in three parts:
- The Summer Tree (1984)
- The Wandering Fire (1986), winner of the 1987 Prix Aurora Award[2]
- The Darkest Road (1986)
- Tigana (1990), set in a period inspired by renaissance Italy
- A Song for Arbonne (1992), a modification of the Albigensian Crusade in a medieval Provence, winner of the 1993 Prix Aurora Award
- The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995), set in an analogue of medieval Spain
- The Sarantine Mosaic, inspired by the Byzantium of Justinian I, in two parts:
- Sailing to Sarantium (1998)
- Lord of Emperors (2000)
- Beyond This Dark House (2003), a collection of poetry
- The Last Light of the Sun (2004), evoking the Viking invasions during the reign of Alfred the Great
- Ysabel (2007), a modern urban fantasy set in Provence, centering on a teenage boy and his encounters with characters from the distant past. Explicitly if lightly linked to The Fionavar Tapestry
- Under Heaven (April 27, 2010), based on the 8th century Tang Dynasty and the events leading up to the An Shi Rebellion
- River of Stars (April 2, 2013), set in the same timeline as Under Heaven, based on the 12th century Song Dynasty and the events around the Jin-Song Wars and the transition from Northern Song to Southern Song
- Children of Earth and Sky (May 10, 2016), set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan, The Sarantine Mosaic, and The Last Light of the Sun, and evoking Italy, Istanbul and the Balkins in the 15th century.
- A Brightness Long Ago (May 14, 2019), set in a world reminiscent of early Renaissance Italy[3]
Partial list of nominations, awards and accolades
Awards
- Kay won the 1985 Scales of Justice Award for best media treatment of a legal issue, Canadian Law Reform Commission, 1985, for "Second Time Around".[4]
- The Wandering Fire won the 1987 Prix Aurora Award in the English category for best speculative fiction.[2][4]
- Kay was runner up for the White Pine Award in 2007 for Ysabel.
- Ysabel was the winner of the 2008 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.[5]
- Kay has also won the International Goliardos Award for his contributions of the international literature of the fantastic.[6]
- Under Heaven won the Sunburst Award in 2011[7] and was long listed for the IMPAC/Dublin Literary prize.[8]
- Kay was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014 "for his contributions to the field of speculative fiction as an internationally celebrated author."[9]
- Under Heaven won the 2015 Prix Elbakin in France.[10]
- River of Stars won the 2017 Prix Elbakin in France.[11]
- Under Heaven was named the best fantasy novel of the year by The American Library Association[12], and was the SF Book Club's Book of the Year
Nominations
- Kay has been nominated several times for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.
- Kay has been nominated four times for the World Fantasy Award, and won in 2008 for "'Ysabel'".
- Kay has been nominated multiple times for the Canadian Sunburst Award.[4]
References
- ↑ Flood, Alison (October 29, 2014). "Guy Gavriel Kay: 'I learned a lot about false starts from JRR Tolkien'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- 1 2 Professional Awards (1980-2006) Archived March 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- 1 2 3 Guy Gavriel Kay (1954–) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Career, Member, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Sidelights
- ↑ 2009 World Fantasy Award Winners & Nominees Archived October 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Shortlist for the 2005 Sunburst Award Archived March 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ 2011 Sunburst Award Winners Archived August 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award: 2012 Longlist Archived April 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Order of Canada Appointments June 30, 2014
- ↑ "Remise de trophées du prix Elbakin.net - Elbakin.net". www.elbakin.net (in French). Retrieved 2018-10-13.
- ↑ "Remise des trophées du prix Elbakin.net adulte aux Utopiales 2017 - Elbakin.net". www.elbakin.net (in French). Retrieved 2018-10-13.
- ↑ "2011 The REading list | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Guy Gavriel Kay |
- Bright Weavings – authorized website with some contributions by Kay
- Kay at publisher Penguin Books Canada
- Guy Gavriel Kay at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Guy Gavriel Kay entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Guy Gavriel Kay at Library of Congress Authorities, with 22 catalogue records
Interviews
- Interview at Boomtron.com
- Interview on the now-defunct Event Horizon at the Wayback Machine (archived October 4, 1999)
- Interview by Raymond H. Thompson at the Library of Rochester
- World Fantasy 2008 Podcast
