Ryad Assani-Razaki (born November 4, 1981) is a Beninese-Canadian writer.[1] His debut short story collection Deux cercles won the Trillium Book Award for French-language fiction in 2010,[2] and his novel La main d'Iman won the Prix Robert-Cliche in 2011[3] and was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for French-language fiction in 2012.[4]
Ryad Assani-Razaki | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Cotonou, Benin |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer |
| Nationality | Beninese, Canadian |
| Period | 2010s–present |
Born in Cotonou, Benin, Assani-Razaki first moved to North America in 1999, to study computer science at the University of North Carolina.[1] After graduating in 2002, he struggled to find a job until registering for a master's in computer science at the Université de Montréal in 2004.[1] He wrote his first short story in 2006, after witnessing an Asian man struggle to order food in a fast food restaurant because of his difficulties with the language.[1] Deux cercles was published in 2009.[1]
Awards
- 2010 Trillium Poetry Prize
- 2011 Prix Robert-Cliche[5]
- 2012 Governor General's Award for French-language fiction[6]
Gallery
Ryad Assani-Razaki, Sonja Finck, Heine Haus Düss
Ryad Assani-Razaki
Christhard Läpple, Ryad Assani-Razak at the Leipziger book fair
