Why him?

From the Canadian Authors’ Encyclopedia:

In the annals of literary achievement, there may be nothing to compare to the career of Kendall August Defoe (OC, OM, GG, Nobel?). I add the question mark to this description because of recent news regarding the procedures of the Nobel Committee and the politics therein, but it is, surprisingly, the least interesting thing about this particular entry.

Born to West Indian parents who emigrated from Dominica – not the country attached to the former nation of Haiti – in 1973, Defoe was raised in the rough working class town of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A gifted student, he would often find himself accosted by teachers and his fellow classmates who thought that his parents were the ones who helped him write his papers which were often read out and examined in class when handed back (a long-standing rumour that he actually read the dictionary in elementary school can now be confirmed as true). He did not come from a home that was overrun with books. He claims that there was a bifurcated dictionary, some encyclopedias received from a door-to-door salesman who was attempting to sweeten a deal, a bible, and many works of pulp fiction. His mother read stories to him while his father told stories about the West Indies, giving him a sense of just how different worlds can be for an immigrant and just how important it is to tell the truth of one’s experience.

In secondary school, Defoe attempted to stay away from literature, moving deeper into the sciences in some sort of attempt to become part of the herd (as he famously quipped online, “If you follow the herd, you will be treated like cattle!”) This was, fortunately, only until his first year of university when he learned that working in a field that he had no love for was no guarantee of a job (another quote he has mentioned comes to mind: “If you are kind to life, life will be kind to you”). This proved to be true once he settled onto English literature as a student, travelled overseas to teach in Japan, and then returned to Canada for graduate work and a master’s degree in English Literature.

He spent many years in Montreal working as an ESL instructor with private schools, companies and one established college (O’Sullivan College of Montreal). During this time, he contributed to various print magazines and journals which did not last, but also to online pages that allowed him to move beyond just journalism into fiction, poetry and the personal essay. This last trope showed his true strength and power as a writer, allowing him to win a Governor General’s Award in 2029 for “Straightjacket: How Restrictions Actually Help”. There was some controversy in his receipt of the award after rumours emerged that his editor at his publisher, Sandwich and Grover, was involved in a romantic relationship with Governor General Shania Twain. Defoe admitted that this was one of the main reasons why he left the country and settled overseas.

He had already published four books before winning the award: one privately (“Ripe” – a collection of poetry); and three online (“Isaiahs in the Void” – same title for a collection of poetry and then a collection of stories; “A Techno Carol” – a short novella which was made into a television series in 2030). Once he settled back in the Caribbean on the island of Dominica, the books and articles continued with great speed: “Straightjacket” (as mentioned); “So What About the Others?”; “The Key”; the Urseline trilogy: “Miss Williams”; “Ms. August”; “Ms. Joseph” (cited by many as his best book); a book for children: “How you mean, Mr. D?”; several screenplays: “Fetch”; “Paperback”; “Constellation” (nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay); “Book Money”; several collections of poetry: “Shoes and Laces”; “Notes on What Comes Next” (nominated for a Governor General’s Award); “Short Ones”; “The Haikus”; “The Sonnets”; “The Limericks”; “Ode to Miss Williams”, etc. He would soon be recognized with the Order of Canada (he kept his Canadian citizenship during the years of exile), an Order of Merit from Great Britain (some rules were bent for this award, him being a citizen of two Commonwealth countries), several other awards from other nations, and a possible Nobel Prize in Literature.

Defoe’s work has often been distinguished by his strong interest in family ties and how absurd the world can be for the individual who does not acknowledge that the rules may not always apply. In his poetry, experimentation often takes away the human element, especially in the collections named after particular forms of poetry, and his novels feel trapped in their time. This may be why the phrase, “Why him?” became so ubiquitous during the first rumours of his ascension to the Nobel crown. In the last years before his death, the announcements became delayed more and more for the Literature prize, and it was suggested that this was due to disagreements with the judges, much like the situations when Bob Dylan, Salman Rushdie, and Etgar Keret were finally awarded the prize. The argument was that Defoe was not worthy of the laurels, while many supporters would constantly bombard the offices of the Alfred Nobel Institute over his worthiness for investiture. Both sides seemed to have caused the committee enough headaches for them to deny him the prize.

He would pass away in the Eastern Townships of Quebec at the age of 97,  the same age as his own grandmother (as he noted, that would be when life would cease for him as well). He left behind a son and daughter (Steph and Currine) and his wife, the actress Ruth Negga.

For more information, please visit the web sites, www.defoekendallishere.com, www.nobelnumbnuts.it, www.myownisland.dm (an explanation of his work created by the author), www.urselinetrilogy.net, and www.canadianauthors.ca.

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