Timothy Taylor (writer)

Timothy Taylor
Born1963 (age 61–62)
Venezuela
NationalityCanadian
Alma mater

Timothy Taylor (born 1963) is a Canadian novelist, short story writer, journalist, and professor of creative writing.[1]

Background

Born in Venezuela,[1] Taylor was raised in West Vancouver, British Columbia and later in Edmonton, Alberta.[1] He studied economics at the University of Alberta and obtained a Master of Business Administration at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University.[1] During his years in university, Taylor served as an officer in the Canadian Forces Naval Reserves. After graduation, he worked in banking in Toronto, Ontario. In 1987, he returned to Vancouver, British Columbia where he currently resides.

Writing career

Taylor's short story "Doves of Townsend" won the Journey Prize in 2000.[2] He had two other stories on the competition's preliminary list of finalists that year, and is to date the only writer ever to have three short stories compete for the prize in the same year.[2] He subsequently served as a judge for the 2003 award.

His debut novel, Stanley Park, was published by Knopf Canada in 2001.[3] It was nominated for the Giller Prize[4] and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize,[5] as well as both the Vancouver and BC Book Awards. It was later chosen to be the 2004 title for One Book, One Vancouver. In 2007, Stanley Park was selected for the annual Canada Reads competition, where it was championed by musician Jim Cuddy.[6]

Stanley Park was followed a year later by Silent Cruise,[7] a collection of eight stories and one novella which was a runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. His second novel Story House was published in 2006 and made Canadian bestseller lists.[1] His third novel, The Blue Light Project, also a bestseller in Canada, was released in 2011.[8]

Taylor also writes nonfiction, particularly on food and wine topics. He's been a contributing editor at Vancouver Magazine and a regular contributor at EnRoute, The Walrus, and Eighteen Bridges. He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Western Living, The Vancouver Review, Toro, Saturday Night, Adbusters, the National Post and the Vancouver Sun. He has published the non-fiction books The Cranky Connoisseur (2011)[9] and Foodville (2014).[10]

In 2013, Taylor took a position with the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing Program, where he now serves as an associate professor.

Taylor's newest book is the novel The Rule of Stephens, published in 2018.[11]

Publications

Novels

Timothy Taylor talks about The Blue Light Project on Bookbits radio
  • Stanley Park. Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2001. ISBN 0-676-97307-8
  • Story House. Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2006. ISBN 0-676-97764-2
  • The Blue Light Project. Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2011. ISBN 0-307-39930-3
  • The Rule of Stephens. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2018.

Short stories

  • Silent Cruise Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2002.

Nonfiction

  • The Internet Handbook for Canadian Lawyers (with M. Drew Jackson): Carswell, 1997. ISBN 0459238353
  • The Cranky Connoisseur: New Word City. 2011.
  • Foodville: Nonvella. 2014

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "A novelist who packs a punch". The Globe and Mail, April 11, 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Vancouver writer dominates: One author stands out in two short story collections". Calgary Herald, February 10, 2001.
  3. ^ "Culinary delight abounds in fine first novel: Details occasionally overwhelm the plot". Calgary Herald, April 7, 2001.
  4. ^ "Giller short list features three new novelists". Kamloops Daily News, October 5, 2001.
  5. ^ "Three writers nominated for two literary awards". Guelph Mercury, February 13, 2002.
  6. ^ "CBC Radio launches annual Canada Reads series". Cape Breton Post, February 27, 2007.
  7. ^ "Silent Cruise tackles many themes: Timothy Taylor draws connections that wouldn't have occurred to us". Montreal Gazette, June 22, 2002.
  8. ^ "Vancouver street art inspired Timothy Taylor new novel 'Blue Light Project': Street art inspired Vancouver novelist Taylor". Canadian Press, March 6, 2011.
  9. ^ "From food to fame, author brings his obsessions to his fiction: Novelist Timothy Taylor probes celebrity culture". Toronto Star, March 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "Taylor sticks a fork into food culture; Author conjures up a 'manifesto - with recipes' reflecting a lifelong fascination with food". Vancouver Sun, July 26, 2014.
  11. ^ "When worldviews collide: Timothy Taylor's new novel explores the limits of science and rationality". Q, March 14, 2018.