Shani
Mootoo

Shani Mootoo is a Canadian writer of fiction, poetry and essays. Born in Dublin to Trinidadian parents, Mootoo originally came to Canada as a student and later returned as an immigrant. Her work addresses various permutations of identity and belonging, along with family and national histories. Originally a visual artist and video maker, Mootoo’s first published work was a collection of short stories, Out on Main Street (1993), followed in 1996 by the internationally recognized Cereus Blooms at Night.

The author of ten books (to date), Mootoo is known for lush, evocative imagery and stories underpinned by complex ideas about desire, memory and history. Each book explores an aspect of these, and of how the past can influence the present, both personally and in terms of national identity