David Chariandy

David Chariandy'snovelBrotherwill be defended by Lisa Ray on Canada Reads 2019.

The 2019 debates are happening on March 25-28, 2019 and will be hosted by AliHassan.

• Get to know the Canada Reads 2019 contenders

About David Chariandy

David Chariandy has been a known commodity since his award-winning 2007 novelSoucouyantarrived on the scene. But the writer and university educator continues to work on his craft as seen inBrother and his 2018 nonfiction workI've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter.

Brotherwon the 2017 RogersWriters' Trust Fiction Prize, the2018 Toronto Book Awardand the 2018 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. It was alsolonglistedfor the2017ScotiabankGiller Prize and is on theCanada Reads2019 longlist.

Thefilm and television rights forBrotherhave been picked up by Toronto production companies Conquering Lion andHawkeyePictures, with Clement Virgo attached to adapt the screenplay and direct the film.

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Why David Chariandy wrote Brother

"I'm a fiction writer and this is clearly the work of the imagination. It'sset in a time period that is very different from today's world.But I still wanted to capture what Scarborough was really like for a child in the early 1990s, particularly a child with a black mother and a South Asian father growing up at that particular time.

I wanted to capture this narrative, one of resilience, creativity, tenderness and love.- David Chariandy

"There was, at that time, a lot of anxiety about visible minorities moving into the area and changing the landscape. I grew up hearing these stories about people I love and respect, who were profoundly creative andhardworkingand simply had dreams of living a good life. These stories are often overlooked and ignored. I wanted to capture this narrative, one of resilience, creativity, tenderness and love."

Read more in David Chariandy's interview with CBC Books.

• Read an excerpt from Brother

Books by David Chariandy

Interviews with David Chariandy

Canada Reads author David Chariandy on why he writes about place, identity and belonging

6 years ago

Duration 3:11

In this special Canada Reads 2019 edition of the CBC Books video series, the author of Brother talks about how he defines love and understanding in his fiction.