Sarah Bernstein (author)

Sarah Bernstein
Born	(1987-04-23) 23 April 1987 (age 37) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Writer and academic
Notable works	Study for Obedience
Notable awards	Giller Prize winner and Booker Prize nominee
Website
davidhigham.co.uk/authors-dh/sarah-bernstein/

Sarah Bernstein (born April 23, 1987)[1] is a Canadian writer and scholar. She was born in Montreal, Quebec, and now lives in Scotland where she teaches literature and creative writing.[2] She has taught at the universities of Sheffield, Edinburgh and Strathclyde.[3]

Her collection of prose poems Now Comes the Lightning appeared in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Writing. Her debut novel The Coming Bad Days was published in 2021.[4] Her next novel, Study for Obedience, was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize[5][6] and won the 2023 Giller Prize.[7]

In 2023, Bernstein was named by Granta magazine as one of the best young writers in Britain.[2]

Education

Bernstein earned a combined undergraduate degree in English and Creative Writing from Concordia University before pursuing a Master of Arts at the University of New Brunswick.[8]

Works

Novels

• The Coming Bad Days (2021)
• Study for Obedience (2023)

Poetry

• Now Comes the Lightning (2015)

Awards

• 2024 The Saltire Society’s Scotland’s National Book Awards, Shortlisted for Study for Obedience[9]
• 2025 International Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for Study for Obedience[10]

References

1. "Sarah Bernstein". The Booker Prize. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
2. "5 Canadian authors shortlisted for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize". CBC Books. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
3. "Sarah Bernstein". University of Strathclyde. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
4. Lauren Elkin, "The Coming Bad Days by Sarah Bernstein review – a study in unknowability". The Guardian, June 3, 2021.
5. Anderson, Porter (2023-09-21). "In England: The Booker Prize for Fiction Names Its 2023 Shortlist". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
6. "Sarah Bernstein interview: 'The question of innocence is a complicated one' | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
7. Brad Wheeler, "Sarah Bernstein wins 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize for fiction". The Globe and Mail, November 13, 2023.
8. "The Booker Prize, the Scottish Highlands and a love of writing". blogs.unb.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
9. "Sarah Bernstein, John Burnside and Jackie Kay shortlisted for Scotland's National Book Awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
10. IGO (2025-01-14). "Study For Obedience". Dublin Literary Award. Retrieved 2025-01-28.