Gary Barwin is a writer, composer, multimedia artist and the author of twenty books of poetry, fiction and books for children. His recent books include Yiddish for Pirates (Random House Canada), the short fiction collection, I, Dr. Greenblatt, Orthodontist, 251-1457, and the poetry collection Moon Baboon Canoe. A PhD in music composition, Barwin has been Writer-in-Residence at Western University and Young Voices E-Writer-in-Residence at the Toronto Public Library, and has taught creative writing at a number of colleges and universities. He is writer-in-residence at several shelters/custody facilities with ArtForms Writers in the House program for at-risk youth. Born in Northern Ireland to South African parents of Ashkenazi descent, Barwin moved to Canada as a child. He is married with three adult children and lives in Hamilton, Ontario and has never been Governor of Louisiana.
Genres: Literary Fiction
New and upcoming books
Novels
The Mud Game (1995) (with Stuart Ross)
Seeing Stars (2001)
Yiddish for Pirates (2016)
Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted (2021)
Seeing Stars (2001)
Yiddish for Pirates (2016)
Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted (2021)
Collections
Outside the Hat (poems) (1994)
Cruelty to Fabulous Animals (poems) (1995)
Raising Eyebrows (poems) (1997)
Doctor Weep and Other Strange Teeth (2004)
Frogments from the Frag Pool (poems) (2005)
The Porcupinity of the Stars (poems) (2006)
The Obvious Flap (poems) (2011)
Franzlations (poems) (2011)
Moon Baboon Canoe (poems) (2014)
The Wild and Unfathomable Always (poems) (2014)
No TV for Woodpeckers (poems) (2017)
For It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to Breathe (poems) (2019)
Bird Arsonist (poems) (2022) (with Tom Prime)
The Fabulous Op (poems) (2022) (with Gregory Betts)
Duck Eats Yeast, Quacks, Explodes; Man Loses Eye (poems) (2023) (with Lillian Necakov)
Scandal at the Alphorn Factory (2024)
Cruelty to Fabulous Animals (poems) (1995)
Raising Eyebrows (poems) (1997)
Doctor Weep and Other Strange Teeth (2004)
Frogments from the Frag Pool (poems) (2005)
The Porcupinity of the Stars (poems) (2006)
The Obvious Flap (poems) (2011)
Franzlations (poems) (2011)
Moon Baboon Canoe (poems) (2014)
The Wild and Unfathomable Always (poems) (2014)
No TV for Woodpeckers (poems) (2017)
For It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to Breathe (poems) (2019)
Bird Arsonist (poems) (2022) (with Tom Prime)
The Fabulous Op (poems) (2022) (with Gregory Betts)
Duck Eats Yeast, Quacks, Explodes; Man Loses Eye (poems) (2023) (with Lillian Necakov)
Scandal at the Alphorn Factory (2024)
Novellas and Short Stories
Plays show
Picture Books show
Books containing stories by Gary Barwin
Gary Barwin recommends
In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark (2023)
Jonathan Garfinkel
"Set in a real yet uncanny world, this gripping and deeply compelling story of love - for family, friends, and a free nation - is filled with secrets, discoveries, passion, and humour. Loyalty and betrayal are braided together in a riveting tale of how relationships and nations are never what they seem - and they both change continually, often in surprising and bewildering ways, yet move and inspire. With colourful characters and striking settings, In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark is a vivid howl of a novel."
The Swells (2022)
Will Aitken
"Careful not to spill that flute of Veuve Clicquot on your Jimmy Choos as you're swept away on the waves of this riotous high-seas satire where the 1 percent become the 99. The delectable queer lovechild of Conde Nast Traveller, The Great Gatsby, Karl Marx, and P. G. Wodehouse, The Swells asks if revolution is like rearranging diamonds and deckchairs on the Titanic, if utopia is the worst form of society except for all the others. Strap on your Mae West: this voyage is an archly, artfully, uproariously breezy yet incisive dark delight."
The Mandela Plot (2018)
Kenneth Bonert
"While The Mandela Plot astounds with the twists and surprises of its irresistible story, this page-turning coming-of-age tale is also a vivid evocation of a remarkable time and place. And a moving and compelling examination of family, power, corruption, hope, loyalty, trust, love, and hatealive with humour and exuberant language."
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