Michael Kaan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Kaan is a Canadian writer, whose debut novel The Water Beetles was published in 2017.[1] The novel, a family saga about a young boy's experience during the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, was based in part on Kaan's father's memoirs.[2]

Life[edit]

Kaan, the child of a father from Hong Kong and a Canadian mother, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[3] He completed a degree in English from the University of Manitoba, later completing an MBA in Health Economics from the same institution.[4] He has worked as a healthcare administrator since 2000, primarily in mental health and health research.

Work[edit]

The Water Beetles was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 2017 Governor General's Awards,[5] and won the 2018 amazon.ca First Novel Award,[6] the Margaret Laurence Prize for Fiction,[7] and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Prize.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Michael Kaan’s spider-silken debut demands second read". Toronto Star, April 30, 2017.
  2. ^ "Family history splinters in debut novel The Water Beetles". The Georgia Straight, April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "Michael Kaan Wins 2018 First Novel Award Presented by Amazon Canada and The Walrus". Cision, May 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "CBC: Winnipeg author wins $40K national First Novel Award". University of Manitoba, May 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Finalists named for 2017 Governor General's Literary Awards". Montreal Gazette, October 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Michael Kaan wins Amazon Canada First Novel Award for The Water Beetles". The Globe and Mail, May 22, 2018.
  7. ^ "Meet the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize readers".
  8. ^ "Manitoba Book Award SHORTLIST". uofmpress.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-17.