Davidson, Craig 1976–

(Patrick Lestewka)

PERSONAL: Born 1976. Education: Graduate of the University of New Brunswick.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Ave. E., Ste. 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada.

WRITINGS:

Rust and Bone: Stories, W.W. Norton (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including Prairie Fire, Fiddlehead, Event, and SubTerrain; writes horror fiction under a pseudonym.

WORK IN PROGRESS: In the Pit (novel).

SIDELIGHTS: Craig Davidson has written stories for literary magazines, dark fantasy under the pseudonym, Patrick Lestewka, and now his first collection, Rust and Bone: Stories. Davidson follows a "Hemingwayesque tradition," noted a Kirkus Reviews contributor after reading Rust and Bone. The eight stories feature hard, damaged men, most of whom are addicted to alcohol, sex, gaming, or violence. They include a boxer, a dog fighter, a magician, a gambler, and a repo man. Davidson's characters have lost limbs, relationships, and the ability to change their lives.

The Kirkus Reviews writer concluded by noting that the stories are "thick with bleak characters and thin on redemption." Booklist reviewer Joanne Wilkinson described Davidson's prose as "ferociously detailed." A Publishers Weekly contributor called Rust and Bone an "accomplished, macabre first collection."

Prudence Peiffer commented in Library Journal that in addition to the hard-driving stories, "there are also quiet moments of grace." Peiffer found these moments in "On Sleepless Roads" and "An Apprentice's Guide to Modern Magic."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2005, Joanne Wilkinson, review of Rust and Bone: Stories, p. 56.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2005, review of Rust and Bone, p. 1044.

Library Journal, October 15, 2005, Prudence Peiffer, review of Rust and Bone, p. 49.

Publishers Weekly, August 29, 2005, review of Rust and Bone, p. 29.

ONLINE

Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival Online, http://www.wordfest.com/ (January 5, 2006), profile of Davidson.

Craig Davidson Blog, http://www.penguinblogs.ca/ davidson (January 5, 2005).

Craig Davidson Web sitehttp://www.craigdavidson.net (July 17, 2006).