Cary Fagan was born in 1957 and grew up in the Toronto suburbs. His father, a World War II refugee, came to Canada on a student visa and eventually became a lawyer and businessman. His mother, the daughter of immigrants, first lived on Nassau Street in Kensington Market.
After earning a B.A. from the University of Toronto, Cary moved downtown and began to work as a magazine editor as well as a freelance writer for many magazines and newspapers. He also became involved in Toronto’s small-press scene, an activity that he continues today as co-editor of a chapbook series published by espresso (espresso-chapbooks.com). His first stories were published in literary journals but it wasn’t until 1991 that his first book of stories, History Lessons, was published. His first book for children was published in 1998 and since that time he has published many books for both adults and children.
His books include the The Student (finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction and the Toronto Book Award), A Bird’s Eye (finalist for the Rogers Trust Fiction Prize, an Amazon.ca Best Book of the Year), and the the story collections Great Adventures for the Faint of Heart (winner, Canadian Jewish Literary Award) and My Life Among the Apes (longlisted for the Giller Prize). His short stories have been published in Geist, CNQ, The New Quarterly, and Best Canadian Stories.
As a writer for children, Cary has published both picture books and novels. He is the recipient of the Vicky Metcalf Award for Young People for his body of work. He has also won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Award, a Mr. Christie Silver Medal, the Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature, and the Joan Betty Stuchner—Oy Vey!—Funniest Children’s Book Award. He has visited schools and libraries across the country.
Cary’s work has been translated into French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Turkish, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Hebrew, Polish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
Cary lives in the west end of Toronto. He teaches courses in writing for children at the University of Toronto Continuing Studies.
Interviews and Profiles
(For some of these you need to cut and paste in your browser)
https://robmclennan.blogspot.com/2023/01/12-or-20-second-series-questions-with_29.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzWnJITSzPo
https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/cary-fagan-market-analysis
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/cary-fagan/
http://thechapbookinterview.com/2018/02/22/cary-fagan/