Will Ferguson

William Stener Ferguson (born October 12, 1964) is a Canadian travel writer and novelist who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel 419.

Biography Ferguson was born fourth of six children in the former fur trading post of Fort Vermilion, Alberta, approximately north of Edmonton.

Ferguson completed his high school education at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School in Red Deer and was awarded the Alexander Rutherford Scholarships in all available categories. He then joined the Canadian government funded programs Katimavik and Canada World Youth. The latter program sent him to Ecuador in South America, as described in his book Why I Hate Canadians. He studied film production and screenwriting at York University in Toronto, graduating with a B.F.A. (Special Honours) in 1990.

Ferguson joined the JET Programme in the early 1990s, and lived in Kyushu, Japan, for five years teaching English. He married his wife, Terumi Matsumoto, in Kumamoto in 1995. While living in Asia, he travelled to China, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. After moving back to Canada, he experienced a severe reverse culture shock, which became the basis for his first book, Why I Hate Canadians. He details his experiences hitchhiking across Japan in Hokkaido Highway Blues, later retitled Hitching Rides with Buddha.

Other activities Ferguson is on the board of directors of the Chawkers Foundation, which provides support for literary, artistic, environmental and educational projects.

Personal life He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. His son Genki Ferguson is the author of the novel Satellite Love. His older brother, Ian Ferguson, won the Stephen Leacock Medal for his memoir Village of the Small Houses in 2004. Another brother, Sean Ferguson, is currently the dean of music at McGill University.

Awards and honours

Honours

He received an honorary degree in English from Mount Royal University in 2016.

And in 2024, Ferguson was made a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence.

Literary awards

Year Title Award Category Result Ref 2002 Generica (later renamed Happiness) Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour — 2005 Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour — — Governor General's History Award Popular Media 2010 Beyond Belfast Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour — 2012 419 Giller Prize — 2013 Libris Award Fiction Book of the Year 2021 The Finder Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Novel