David Adams Richards

The Honourable David Adams Richards CM ONB (born October 17, 1950) is an acclaimed Canadian novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and poet whose starkly naturalistic, deeply empathetic portrayals of the working class have made him a defining pillar of modern Canadian literature. Wikipedia Born and raised in Newcastle, New Brunswick, he found his calling at age 14 after reading Oliver Twist and dedicated his life to capturing his "homeground" of the Miramichi River valley. Richards is one of only three writers in history to win the Governor General’s Literary Award in both the fiction category (for his 1988 novel Nights Below Station Street) and the non-fiction category (for his 1998 memoir Lines on the Water: A Fly Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi). He achieved monumental national stardom when his tragic masterpiece, Mercy Among the Children, co-won the 2000 Scotiabank Giller Prize and spent weeks atop national bestseller lists. In recognition of his vast cultural contributions, Richards was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2017 representing New Brunswick, a role he held until his mandatory retirement at age 75 in late 2025. Unwavering in his commitment to his vocation, he marked his departure from public office by publishing his latest highly praised novel, Songs of Love on a December Night.