# David Gurr

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{{Short description|Canadian writer}}
{{For|the English cricketer|David Gurr (cricketer)}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2009}}
'''David Hugh Courtney Gurr''' is a Canadian writer and author of literary novels and political thrillers. He was born William Le Breton Harvey Brisbane-Bedwell in 1936 in [London](/source/London), England, but his name was changed by adoption in 1941. He was educated at Sherborne Prep and [University College](/source/University_College_London) in England before emigrating with his family to Canada. He attended [Belmont High School](/source/Belmont_Secondary_School) in [Victoria, British Columbia](/source/Victoria%2C_British_Columbia), the [Royal Canadian Naval College](/source/Royal_Canadian_Naval_College), and the [University of Victoria](/source/University_of_Victoria). Gurr served with the [Royal Canadian Navy](/source/Royal_Canadian_Navy) from 1954 to 1970 as an executive officer and computer systems analyst. His first interest was in the theatre, and he received a scholarship to "tread the boards" at UBC in the summer of 1952. His name can still be seen painted on the backstage wall of the Old Auditorium.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.alumni.ubc.ca/grad_gazette/42-oct09/gazette_oct09_web.html |title="Tales from the Old Auditorium" |access-date=2010-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182637/http://www.alumni.ubc.ca/grad_gazette/42-oct09/gazette_oct09_web.html |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From 1971 to 1980, he designed and built homes on [Vancouver Island](/source/Vancouver_Island).

He has been a writer since 1976. His works include: ''Troika'' (1979), ''A Woman Called Scylla'' (1981), ''The Action of the Tiger'' (1984), ''An American Spy Story'' (1984), ''On the Endangered List'' (1985), ''The Ring Master'' (1987) plus various thrillers under pseudonyms; two stage plays: ''Leonora'' (1984) and ''The Ring Play: An Evening with Hitler'' (1991); and he was co-author for two screen plays (with [George Cosmatos](/source/George_P._Cosmatos)).

''Troika'' was short-listed for the [John Creasey Memorial Award](/source/CWA_New_Blood_Dagger).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Awards/Dagger_Awards.html#1979|title = Dagger Awards}}</ref> ''The Ring Master'' was nominated for the [Governor General's Award](/source/Governor_General's_Award).<ref>[1987 Governor General's Awards](/source/1987_Governor_General's_Awards)</ref> ''The Voice of the Crane'' was short-listed for the [Commonwealth Prize](/source/Commonwealth_Prize) (Canadian-Caribbean Division).<ref>Sherrill Grace, "The Black Curtain", review in ''Canadian Literature'' 129, pp. 151-152.</ref>

He currently resides in Victoria, [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia), Canada.

== Bibliography ==
* ''The Canadian Who's Who'', Elizabeth Lumley<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lumley |first=Elizabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZi3osTMOEIC&dq=david+gurr+who's+who&pg=PA546 |title=Canadian Who's Who 2002 |date=April 2002 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-4970-4 |language=en}}</ref>
* The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Popular Literature in English: Mysteries"
* Interview with the author by [Raymond H. Thompson](/source/Raymond_H._Thompson) on The Ring Master. 27 July 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |title=INTERVIEW WITH DAVID GURR |url=http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/intrvws/gurr.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041123050325/http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/intrvws/gurr.htm |archive-date=2004-11-23 |access-date=2026-03-15 |website=www.lib.rochester.edu}}</ref>
* Gale CENGAGE sources: Contemporary Authors, volume(s) 132, Contemporary Authors - Brief Entry, volume(s) 125, Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, volume(s) 105, Interview in volume(s) CA-132

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://davidgurr.ca/}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurr, David}}
Category:1936 births
Category:Canadian male novelists
Category:Living people
Category:English emigrants to Canada
Category:Writers from Victoria, British Columbia
Category:20th-century Canadian novelists
Category:20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
Category:Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
Category:20th-century Canadian male writers
Category:Novelists from British Columbia

{{Canada-playwright-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David Gurr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gurr) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gurr?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.