David Bergen 2010 Writer in Residence

David Bergen is the Carol Shields Writer in Residence for 2010.

As Writer-in-Residence, he will have an office in the English Department of the University of Winnipeg and will meet with writing students and members of the public in private consultations from January 1 until April 30, 2010.

Winner of the Giller Prize
Bergen's name resonates internationally as an award-winning writer. He has won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award, the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction and the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. In 2007, he received an Honorary Doctorate from The University of Winnipeg.

A True Craftsman
“He is special because he is an artist,” says Neil Besner, Deputy Provost and Vice-President, International. “He doesn't let a sentence go until he's got it - he's a beautiful stylist. He cares about language, he cares about character, he's a true craftsman - a writer's writer.”

New York Times Notable Book
Bergen's short story, How Can Men Share a Bottle of Vodka? won the CBC Literary Prize for Fiction and was short listed for a National Magazine Award. His first book of short stories, Sitting Opposite My Brother, earned him the coveted Hirsch Award in 1993 and his first novel, A Year of Lesser, earned him a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. The Case of Lena S won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award in 2000, and was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Fiction, The McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction. Bergen was awarded Canada's prestigious literary award - the Giller Prize - for The Time in Between.

UWinnipeg Graduate
Bergen graduated from The University of Winnipeg in 1985 with a Bachelor of Education degree and prior to that he attended Red River College and earned a diploma in creative communications.

Bergen also served as Writer-in-Residence at the Winnipeg Centennial Library in 2002-2003. In that role his advice was, “Good writing requires hard work, tenacity, perhaps a novel idea and a bit of luck. Ultimately, I want a story to be honest. I want the voice to be genuine and unpretentious, to offer me a view into a world that is fresh and whole. I want to be surprised, and I do not mean in a gratuitous manner.”