A Novel Approach

Before he became an award-winning author and screenwriter, Shyam Selvadurai (BFA ’89) was a theatre major at York who couldn’t imagine that one day he’d become an internationally acclaimed writer whose work champions diversity and inclusion. Not that he hadn’t thought of it.

But as a gay person of colour who immigrated to Canada in the wake of the 1983 race riots that had ravaged his native Sri Lanka, he couldn’t see how he could penetrate the country’s then predominantly white, straight literary scene. His creative writing professor, Matthew Corrigan, helped to open his eyes.

“He believed that the next generation of great Canadian writers would come from racialized minority communities,” recalls Selvadurai during a recent conversation. “It was the first time I had ever heard that, and I felt invited in, not as a token, but as someone who might have something to contribute.” And contribute he has.

In the 25 years since he graduated from York, Selvadurai has published seven internationally acclaimed novels, among them 1994’s Funny Boy (a Books in Canada First Novel winner that in 2020 became a film by Deepa Mehta), 2005’s Swimming in the Monsoon Sea (which took a Lambda best children’s and youth literature award), and 2015’s The Hungry Ghosts (a Governor General’s Literary Award nominee). He has also edited a collection of short stories, Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers, that includes contributions from Salman Rushdie and Hanif Kureishi, among other notable diasporic writers.

Even as his career flourishes, Selvadurai finds time to give back. In the spring, he expanded his influence by taking on the role of the Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto. This recent opportunity to engage with students complemented his previous tenure as writer-in-residence at York University during the fall and winter terms. As part of his duties, Selvadurai hosted non-credit fiction and creative non-fiction workshops for interested students, bringing his wealth of experience to inspire and guide aspiring writers. He will once again mentor students during the intensive week-long Summer Workshop in Creative Writing at the Humber School of Writers, starting in June.

Currently immersed in crafting a fantasy novel for young adults, Selvadurai remains deeply connected to the aspirations of the next generation. Reflecting on the pivotal guidance he received from Corrigan, he is committed to sharing invaluable advice with students who harbour their own literary ambitions, ensuring they are equipped to navigate their creative journeys with confidence and purpose.

“As [the 19th-century poet] Khalil Gibran says, the next generation are the arrows into the future; we are merely the bows. That’s how I see myself,” Selvadurai insists. “I don’t want to influence how students think. It is for them to do that and for me to encourage their ability by sharing with them my craft and my experience as a writer.” ■