Shyam Selvadurai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shyam Selvadurai
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| Born | February 12, 1965 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan-Canadian |
| Period | 1990s-present |
| Notable works | Funny Boy, Swimming in the Monsoon Sea |
| Spouse | Andrew Champion |
Shyam Selvadurai (born 12 February 1965) is a Sri Lankan Canadian writer. He is famous for his 1994 book Funny Boy. This book won the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award.
Contents
About Shyam Selvadurai
His Early Life and Background
Shyam Selvadurai was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His mother was Sinhalese and his father was Tamil. These two groups had conflicts in Sri Lanka. These conflicts became a big part of the stories he writes.
In 1983, when Shyam was 19, there were riots in Sri Lanka. His family had to move to Canada. He then studied writing at York University.
His Journey as a Writer
Shyam Selvadurai published his first book, Funny Boy, in 1994. After that, he wrote Cinnamon Gardens in 1998.
In 2004, Shyam edited a collection of short stories. It was called Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers. This book included stories by famous writers like Salman Rushdie.
In 2005, he published a book for young adults called Swimming in the Monsoon Sea. This book won the Lambda Literary Award in 2006 for children's and youth books.
In 2013, he released another book, The Hungry Ghosts. His book Funny Boy was even added to the reading list for English students at The American College in Madurai. In 2014, he received an award from the University of Toronto. This award was for his work in helping people understand different identities.
In 2020, a movie was made based on his book Funny Boy. The film was directed by Deepa Mehta. In 2021, Shyam Selvadurai and Deepa Mehta won an award for the best movie script adapted from a book.
His most recent book, Mansions of the Moon, came out in 2022. It is a historical story about Yasodhara, who was the wife of the Buddha.
His Personal Life
Shyam Selvadurai lives in Toronto, Canada, with his partner Andrew Champion.
In 2016, scientists even named a type of spider after him! It's called Brignolia Shyami. It's a tiny, pale yellow spider, only about 1.4 to 1.5 millimeters long.
Shyam Selvadurai's Books
Here are some of the books Shyam Selvadurai has written or edited:
- Funny Boy. This book won the Lambda Literary Award and the Books in Canada First Novel Award.
- Cinnamon Gardens.
- Swimming in the Monsoon Sea. This book won the Lambda Literary Award for children's and youth literature.
- Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers. (He was the editor of this collection).
- The Hungry Ghosts (novel).
- Many Roads Through Paradise: An Anthology Of Sri Lankan Literature. (He helped put this collection together and translated some parts).
- Mansions of the Moon.
