“I
want readers turning pages until three o'clock in the morning. I want the
themes of books to stick around for a reader. I'm always trying to find a way
to balance characters and theme.” – Guy Gavriel Kay
Canadian writer Gavriel Kay, born on Nov. 7, 1954, has had a knack for creating those “page turner” books, writing
historical fantasy fiction with a flair that has distinguished his writing over
several decades. He cut his teeth on fantasy writing by traveling to Oxford to
assist Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien, with editing J.R.R.’s
unpublished work The Silmarillion. With that experience as inspiration he began
his own career with the book The Summer
Tree. 
Many of his 14 novels are set in
fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such
as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I, or Spain during the time of
El Cid. His 2019 book – A Brightness Long Ago – is set in
Renaissance Italy (although his settings and lead characters have come from
almost every era).
Not afraid to mix eras and genres,
he has won multiple awards, including The World Fantasy Award for Ysabel, set in modern day France but
bringing his teenage lead into direct contact with characters from both the
distant past and another “parallel” world to ours. “I have
always argued,” he said, “(that) in a good novel, interesting things
happen to interesting people, no matter who they are or where they are from.”
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