Hammett Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (1997) award
William Herbert Deverell
ウィリアム・デヴェレル
William Deverell
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1937-03-04 （Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada）
- Nationality
- Canada
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Montreal (worked as a journalist) → Vancouver (practised law; writing career) → Pender Island, British Columbia (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- writer, criminal lawyer, civil liberties activist, journalist
- Active Years
- 1959-
- Affiliations
- British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (founder & honorary director), Writers' Union of Canada (Life Member), Writers Guild of Canada (Life Member), PEN International, Crime Writers of Canada, Greenpeace, Ecojustice Canada, Green Party of Canada
- Memberships
- Writers' Union of Canada (Life Member), Writers Guild of Canada (Life Member), PEN International, Crime Writers of Canada
- Nominations
- Stephen Leacock Medal (shortlisted: Kill All the Judges; Snow Job)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Saskatchewan | — | Law | D. Juris | — | Canada |
University of Saskatchewan
Law
Degree:
D. Juris
Country:
Canada
Later awarded honorary degrees (e.g. D.Litt.); has lectured at the university.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Seal First Novel Award | Needles | — | McClelland & Stewart | winner |
| 1998 | Hammett Prize | Trial of Passion | — | International Association of Crime Writers (IAAW) | winner |
| 1998 | Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel | Trial of Passion | — | Crime Writers of Canada | winner |
| 2003 | Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel | April Fool | — | Crime Writers of Canada | winner |
| — | Best Canadian Crime Writer (Scene of the Crime Festival) | — | — | Scene of the Crime Festival | winner |
Seal First Novel Award
1979
Work:
Needles
Organization:
McClelland & Stewart
Result:
winner
Hammett Prize
1998
Work:
Trial of Passion
Organization:
International Association of Crime Writers (IAAW)
Result:
winner
Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel
1998
Work:
Trial of Passion
Organization:
Crime Writers of Canada
Result:
winner
Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel
2003
Work:
April Fool
Organization:
Crime Writers of Canada
Result:
winner
Best Canadian Crime Writer (Scene of the Crime Festival)
Organization:
Scene of the Crime Festival
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence
2 appearances
-
Edition 15 (1998) award
-
Edition 23 (2006) award
Works
Major Works
Needles
1979 Courtroom drama / Crime fictionDebut novel based on his legal experience; explores courtroom drama and human conflict.
law and justiceprofessional ethics
Trial of Passion
1997 Crime fiction / Courtroom mysteryIntroduces the Arthur Beauchamp series; a barrister-protagonist handles a complex case.
moral ambiguity of justicelegal ethics
Snow Job
2009 Political satire / Crime fictionA political satire within crime fiction; named by The Globe and Mail as a top crime book in 2009.
political satirepower and corruption
Mindfield
1989 Crime fictionPublished 1989; adapted into a feature film with a screenplay credit to Deverell, released around 1990.
psychological dramajudiciary and the individual
Adaptations
- [Film] Mindfield (film) (1990)
Bibliography
- Needles (1979)
- High Crimes (1981)
- Mecca (1983)
- The Dance of Shiva (1984)
- Mindfield (1989)
- Platinum Blues (1989)
- Kill All the Lawyers (1991)
- Fatal Cruise: The Case of Robert Frisbee (1991) (nonfiction)
- Street Legal (1995)
- Slander (1999)
- The Laughing Falcon (2001)
- Mind Games (2003)
- Trial of Passion (1997) (Arthur Beauchamp series)
- April Fool (2005)
- Kill All the Judges (2008)
- Snow Job (2009)
- I'll See You in My Dreams (2011)
- Sing a Worried Song (2015)
- Whipped (2017)
- Stung (2021)
Adaptations
- Mindfield (film adaptation)
- Shellgame (CBC television pilot that led to Street Legal)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realist courtroom-based prose blended with satirehumorous narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- moral ambiguity of law and justicecivil rights and libertiespolitical satireconcern for environmental issues
Legacy
One of Canada's prominent crime writers, known for blending courtroom detail and satire. His legal career informed his fiction, and he contributed to civil liberties activism. His archives are held at the University of Saskatchewan and are of interest to scholars.
Academic Societies
- Writers' Union of Canada
- Writers Guild of Canada
Archives
- University of Saskatchewan (holds archives)
In Popular Culture
- Guest of honour appearances at Canadian crime writer events (e.g. Bloody Words) and festival awards have raised public profile
Trivia
- Debut novel Needles is based on his legal experience.
- Served as counsel in over a thousand trials, including about thirty murder trials.
- Founder and honorary director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.
- Official website: www.deverell.com