Caroline Dawson (writer)

Caroline Dawson (December 12, 1979 – May 19, 2024) was a Chilean-born Canadian writer, whose debut novel Là où je me terre was published in 2020.^[1][2]

Biography

Born in Valparaíso, Chile, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, in 1986 with her family as refugees from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.^[3] She was the sister of writer Nicholas Dawson.^[4]

Dawson studied sociology at the Université de Montréal, and then taught sociology courses at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.

Dawson died of bone cancer on May 19, 2024, at the age of 44.^[5]

Career

Là où je me terre, an autofiction about her own journey as an immigrant, was published in November 2020.^[1] The novel was defended by Michel Marc Bouchard in the 2021 edition of Le Combat des livres.^[6]

And the Andes Disappeared, an English translation by Anita Anand of Là où je me terre, was published in 2023 by Book*hug.^[7]

In 2023, she published the poetry collection Ce qui est tu,^[8] and in 2024, she published the children's book Partir de loin.^[3]

Awards and honours

• Là où je me terre, winner of the Prix littéraire des collégiens in 2022.^[9]
• And the Andes Disappeared, shortlisted for the 2024 Amazon.ca First Novel Award.^[10]

Legacy

In May 2024, just a few days before Dawson's death, the French division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced the creation of the Prix Caroline-Dawson, a literary award to honour works by emerging writers.^[11]