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M G Vassanji was born in Kenya and raised in Tanzania. Before coming to
Canada in 1978, he attended MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, where he
specialized in theoretical nuclear physics. From 1978-1980 he was a postdoctoral
fellow at the Atomic Energy of Canada, and from 1980 to 1989 he was a research
associate at the University of Toronto. During this period he developed a keen
interest in medieval Indian literature and history, co-founded and edited a
literary magazine (The Toronto South Asian Review, later renamed The
Toronto Review of Contemporary Writing Abroad), and began writing stories
and a novel. In 1989, with the publication of his first novel, The Gunny
Sack, he was invited to
spend a season at the International Writing Program of the
University of Iowa. That year ended his active career in nuclear physics. His
contributions there he considers modest, in algebraic models and high spin
states. The fact that he was never tenured he considers a blessing for it freed
him to pursue his literary career.
Vassanji is the author
of six novels and two collections of short stories. His work has appeared in
various countries and several languages. His most recent novel, The
Assassin's Song, was short-listed for both the Giller Prize and the
Governor-General's Prize for best novel in Canada. It has appeared in the US
(Knopf) and India (Penguin) and is scheduled to appear in the UK (Canongate).
His wife, Nurjehan, was born in Tanzania. They have two sons, Anil, and Kabir.
He lives in Toronto, and visits Africa and India often.
Awards: Giller Prize, twice; Harbourfront Festival Prize; Commonwealth First
Book Prize (Africa); Bressani Prize. Order of Canada.
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