M G Vassanji is the author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, a travel memoir about

India, a memoir of East Africa, and a biography of Mordecai Richler. He is twice winner of the
Giller Prize (1994, 2003) for best work of fiction in Canada; the Governor General's Prize (2009)
for best work of nonfiction; the Harbourfront Festival Prize; the Commonwealth First Book Prize
(Africa, 1990); and the Bressani Prize. The Assassin's Song was also shortlisted for the Giller
Prize, the Governor General’s Prize, the Writers Trust Award, and India's Crossword Prize. His
work has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Latvian,
Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and Swahili. Vassanji has given lectures worldwide and written
many essays, including introductions to the works of Robertson Davies, Anita Desai, and
Mordecai Richler, and the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. In June 2015, MG Vassanji was
awarded the Canada Council Molson Prize for the Arts. (Photo: Mark Reynolds)

M G Vassanji was born in Nairobi, Kenya and raised in Tanzania. He received a BS from the
Massachussetts Institute of Technology and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, before
going to live in Canada. He is a member of the Order of Canada and has been awarded several
honorary doctorates. He lives in Toronto, and visits East Africa and India often.