Will Ferguson

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born

in Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada

October 12, 1964

website

http://www.willferguson.ca/

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Will Ferguson (born William Stener Ferguson) is a Canadian writer and novelist who is best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture. His success as a writer can be attributed to an innate ability to view Canada much the same way an outsider would, as described in his debut book, the ironically named Why I Hate Canadians. Ferguson talks about this in a recent CBC radio interview as well. Ferguson was born fourth of six children in the former trading post of Fort Vermilion, Alberta, approximately 800 km north of Edmonton. His parents split up when he was 6 during a brief interlude in Regina. At the age of 16 he quit school and moved to Saskatoon, Dauphin, and Red Deer. He then joined the Canadian government funded p...more Will Ferguson (born William Stener Ferguson) is a Canadian writer and novelist who is best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture. His success as a writer can be attributed to an innate ability to view Canada much the same way an outsider would, as described in his debut book, the ironically named Why I Hate Canadians. Ferguson talks about this in a recent CBC radio interview as well. Ferguson was born fourth of six children in the former trading post of Fort Vermilion, Alberta, approximately 800 km north of Edmonton. His parents split up when he was 6 during a brief interlude in Regina. At the age of 16 he quit school and moved to Saskatoon, Dauphin, and Red Deer. He then joined the Canadian government funded programs Katimavik and Canada World Youth. He studied film production and screenwriting at York University in Toronto graduating with a B.F.A. 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 in Kumamoto, Japan, in 1995. After coming back from Japan 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.

Ferguson has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour twice, for Generica (later renamed Happiness) in 2002 and Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw in 2005.

He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and two sons. His older brother, Ian Ferguson, also won the Stephen Leacock Medal, for Village of the Small Houses.

Ferguson is also an outspoken critic of the monarchy of Canada, both publicly and in his books. He is often quoted in the media when the monarchy issue is being debated, particularly from his 1997 book Why I Hate Canadians, in which he says "Royalty exists only through an act of willful ignorance on the part of their subjects. Call it a suspension of common sense." He contrasts this with profiles of Canadian secessionist and independence movements (such as the "Republic of Madawaska") in his book Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw (2004).(less)

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Will Ferguson's Books

Average rating: 3.76 · 7,078 ratings · 1,015 reviews · 23 distinct works · Similar authors

	419 3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 avg rating — 1,817 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Happiness 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 1,440 ratings — published 2001 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hokkaido Highway Blues 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 1,291 ratings — published 1998	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Be a Canadian by Will Ferguson, Ian Ferguson 3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 avg rating — 873 ratings — published 2003 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Travels in Search of Canada 3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 avg rating — 462 ratings — published 2004 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Why I Hate Canadians 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 374 ratings — published 1999 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond Belfast 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 172 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spanish Fly 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 174 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Canadian History for Dummies 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 2000 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bastards & Boneheads: Canada's Glorious Leaders, Past and Present 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 122 ratings — published 1999	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Will Ferguson

“The two most important phrases in the human language are "If only" and "Maybe someday". Our past mistakes and our unrequited longings. The things we regret and the things we yearn for. That's what makes us who we are.”
― Will Ferguson, Happiness

41 people liked it

“Obviously, he needed to kill Bubba, but how? The man was a trained prison guard twice his size. The tax auditors had been easy. Mr. Ethics had slapped them to death with their own attaché cases. And even then, his neighbours had chipped in to help him hide the bodies. "A tax auditor, you say? No problem. Let me get my spade.”
― Will Ferguson, Happiness

7 people liked it

“Many Canadian nationalists harbour the bizarre fear that should we ever reject royalty, we would instantly mutate into Americans, as though the Canadian sense of self is so frail and delicate a bud, that the only thing stopping it from being swallowed whole by the US is an English lady in a funny hat.”
― Will Ferguson

5 people liked it

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Polls

What award winner would you like to read for March's Group Read?

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

30 votes 22.6%

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

22 votes 16.5%

Dune by Frank Herbert

17 votes 12.8%

by A Spell of Winter Helen Dunmore

13 votes 9.8%

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

12 votes 9.0%

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

12 votes 9.0%

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

8 votes 6.0%

419: A Novel by Will Ferguson

8 votes 6.0%

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

8 votes 6.0%

Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey

3 votes 2.3%

133 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: 10.8 (OH CANADA!)	37	188	Dec 21, 2009 02:06pm
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	3072	2930	Aug 31, 2010 10:39pm
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The Seasonal Read...: 5.5 - Maple Leaf Rag	16	108	Aug 04, 2011 03:46pm
Chaos Reading: Fiction-HUMOUR Shelf Now Up [closed]	28	107	Jun 09, 2012 11:31pm
Read Across Canad...: Will Ferguson	6	10	Nov 06, 2012 05:38pm
Read Across Canad...: Cross Canada books	17	23	Feb 03, 2013 08:22pm
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Around the World ...: Japan	17	269	Apr 12, 2013 12:26am

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Will Ferguson

Author profile

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Quotes by Will Ferguson

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Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Will Ferguson's Books