Shani Mootoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shani Mootoo
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Mootoo with her book, Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab
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| Born | Dublin, Ireland |
| Language | English |
Shani Mootoo is a talented writer, visual artist, and video maker. She was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1957. Her parents were from Trinidad.
Shani grew up in Trinidad. When she was 19, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Today, she lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Contents
About Shani Mootoo's Life
Her Early Life and Schooling
From a young age, Shani Mootoo showed a gift for drawing, painting, and writing. By age 10, she knew she wanted to be an artist. Her mother, Indra, always encouraged her creative efforts.
Shani's father, Ramesh Mootoo, was a doctor and a politician in Trinidad. Shani Mootoo's life and writing have often focused on making a difference in the world. She has said that her parents were worried about some of her early poems. These poems explored love between people of the same gender. Because of their worries, she stopped writing for a while and focused on painting instead. She later returned to writing by chance.
Mootoo studied Fine Arts at the University of Western Ontario. She earned her degree in 1980. Later, she got a master's degree in English and Theatre from the University of Guelph in 2010.
Her Art and Videos
As a visual artist, Shani Mootoo lived in Vancouver and New York City. She explored ideas about gender and race in her paintings, photos, and videos. These themes were important to her because of her experiences growing up in Trinidad and later moving to Canada.
Her art and video work have been shown all over the world. They have received much praise. For example, her work was shown at the New York Museum of Modern Art. She now teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Toronto.
Shani Mootoo's Books
Starting Her Writing Journey
Shani Mootoo's first book was Out on Main Street. It was a collection of short stories published in 1993. This book started her career as a writer.
Her first full-length novel was Cereus Blooms at Night. It came out in 1996. This book was nominated for several awards, including the Giller Prize in 1997. It has been published in 15 countries. The story takes place on a tropical island. It is about a male nurse who cares for someone and explores themes of healing and finding hope.
In 2002, Mootoo published a book of poems called The Predicament of Or.
Later Novels and Their Stories
Her second full novel, He Drown She in the Sea, was published in 2005. It was considered for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2007.
Mootoo's 2008 novel, Valmiki's Daughter, is set in San Fernando, Trinidad. It tells the story of a father and daughter dealing with secrets. Mootoo explained that the father tries to help his daughter avoid living a hidden life like his own. The book shows how their lives are shaped by social rules and expectations. It's about the daughter learning that love can be challenging but also that she is strong enough to get through anything. Valmiki's Daughter was also nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2009. Mootoo has mentioned that she wrote about food on almost every page of this book without even realizing it. She says food and entertaining are very important in Trinidadian culture and in her own life.
Shani Mootoo's two most recent novels are Moving Forward Sideways like a Crab (2014) and Polar Vortex (2020). Both of these books were also nominated for the Giller Prize.
Her novels are often studied in universities around the world. They are used in courses about English, women's studies, and cultural studies.
In 2022, the Writers' Trust of Canada honored Shani Mootoo with the Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award. This award recognized all of her amazing work as a writer.
Other Activities
Shani Mootoo has been a writer-in-residence at several universities. This means she spent time there teaching and working on her writing. These universities include the University of Alberta, the University of Guelph, and the University of the West Indies. She also visits and speaks at events internationally.
In 2009, she was a judge for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize. This award helps new LGBT writers in Canada. She helped choose Debra Anderson as the winner that year.
Videos by Shani Mootoo
Shani Mootoo has written, directed, and filmed several videos:
- And the Rest is Drag, 32 mins, 2010 (with Melisa Brittain and Danielle Peers)
- View, 8 mins, 2000
- Guerita and Prietita, 23 mins, 1999 (with Kath High)
- Her Sweetness Lingers, 18 mins, 1998
- The Wild Woman in the Woods, 12 mins, 1992
- A Paddle and a Compass, 8 mins, 1992 (with Wendy Oberlander)
- English Lesson, 5 mins, 1990
- Lest I Burn, 8 mins, 1989
Selected Art Shows and Video Screenings
Shani Mootoo's visual art and videos have been shown in many places:
- Topographies, The Vancouver Art Gallery, 1997
- Transculture, The Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1995
- The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York, USA, 1994, 1995
- Queens Museum, New York, USA, 1995
- Solo Exhibition, The National Gallery, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1980
