Andrew Unger

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Andrew Unger
Andrewunger3.jpg
Born1979
Winnipeg, Manitoba
OccupationWriter
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Manitoba
Period2010s–present
Notable worksOnce Removed, The Daily Bonnet
Website
andrewunger.com

Andrew Unger (born 1979)[1] is a Canadian writer from Steinbach, Manitoba, best known as the author and founder of the Mennonite satire website The Daily Bonnet and for the novel Once Removed.[2]

In 2016 Unger founded the Daily Bonnet and, along with his wife Erin Koop Unger, the non-satirical website Mennotoba in 2017.[3] Since 2016, Unger has written more than two thousand Daily Bonnet articles.[4] The website has been visited millions of times each year and has been cited in debate in the Manitoba Legislature[5] and used as an example of Mennonite humour in the Canadian House of Commons.[6][7][8]

In 2020 Unger's novel Once Removed was released by Turnstone Press.[9][10] The novel, which tells the story of a struggling writer trying to preserve his town's fading history, won the 2021 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book and was a finalist for the 2020 Margaret McWilliams Award.[11][12][13]

Before starting the Daily Bonnet, Unger was a contributor to numerous publications including Geez, CBC.ca, and Ballast, previously publishing under the pen name Andrew J. Bergman.[14][15] He also worked as a ghostwriter for New York-based Kevin Anderson & Associates.[4] Unger cites Jonathan Swift, Sinclair Lewis, Armin Wiebe, Billy Wilder, and Miriam Toews among his writing influences.[16]

The son of a Mennonite minister, Unger was born in Winnipeg and lived in Steinbach, Brandon and Calgary as a child before returning to Steinbach as an adult.[17] From his father's side, he is a direct descendant of Kleine Gemeinde founder Klaas Reimer, while his maternal grandfather fled to Canada from the Soviet Union as a refugee in the 1920s.[18] He holds degrees from the University of Manitoba and has taught English Language Arts at Steinbach Regional Secondary School for more than fifteen years.[19][20]

References[]

  1. ^ Once Removed. Turnstone Press. 2020.
  2. ^ Porter, Catherine (March 28, 2019). "Miriam Toews' Mennonite Conscience". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Wichers, Geralyn (August 4, 2018). "Website celebrates overlooked elements of Mennonite life". Carillon News. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Write What You Know: The Writing Cliche that is No Lie". Kevin Anderson and Associates. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "Legislative Assembly of Manitoba". Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "House of Commons Debates". Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Cory Funk. "Oh ya! Parliament declares Mennonite Heritage Week". CBC. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Connor Gerbrandt. "Mennonite Heritage Gets It's [sic] Own Week of Recognition". Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Center for Mennonite Writing Journal". Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Brenda Suderman. "Satirist puts Mennonite twist on pandemic". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "2021 nominees". Manitoba Book Awards. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  12. ^ "2020 Nominees". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  13. ^ Ben Sigurdson (May 20, 2021). "Bergen wins book of the year a fourth time". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Huber, Tim (July 4, 2016). "Satire news site pokes fun at Mennonite quirks". Mennonite World Review. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Suderman, Brenda (August 13, 2016). "Poking fun from within". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Unger brings debut novel to book club". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Marcy Markusa. "Meet the man behind the popular website "The Daily Bonnet"". CBC.ca. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "How to Research Your Family History and Genealogy". Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  19. ^ Enns, Lindsey. "Sense of Humour Infects Steinbach Teacher" (PDF). Manitoba Teacher. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  20. ^ Schwartz, Alexandra (March 25, 2019). "A Beloved Canadian Novelist Reckons with Her Mennonite Past". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 26, 2020.

External links[]

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