Though native to Edmonton, Jarman has travelled extensively across the country and the world, visiting places such as Ireland, the United States and Italy. Jarman's natural interest in literature led him to pursue the craft of writing. Before becoming a teacher, Jarman worked as a truck driver and considered writing as a hobby. His personal interests include skiing, cycling, and hockey. Jarman is also a musician and is part of a local blues band, Toredown. Mark Anthony Jarman is a Yaddo Fellow and has taught at the University of Victoria, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and now teaches at the University of New Brunswick, where he is fiction editor of The Fiddlehead.
Style of writing
Jarman credits his style of writing to his experience at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and cites author Barry Hannah as being a significant influence on his style. Jarman has stated that he prefers writing short stories as he "finds novels cumbersome". Literature critic Steven W. Beattie, on reviewing his short story collection My White Planet, stated that Jarman's writing differentiates from the norm of classic Canadian literature and focuses on "the delirious and courageous use of language to create startling effects". Jarman's short stories have been known to explore a variety of different themes, including war, crisis and Canadian culture. Beattie, reviewing one of the stories in the My White Planet collection, noted "'A Nation Plays Chopsticks' may be the finest explanation for Canadian’s love affair with hockey I’ve ever read".
Notable works
Jarman's books have been received positively, and have won and been nominated for a number of awards. One of his short story collections, 19 Knives, was met with acclaim and chosen as ‘book of the year’ by The Guardian newspaper. Jarman's writings have also earned him the O. Henry Award and Best American Essays, Gold National Magazine Award in nonfiction and have won the Maclean-Hunter Endowment Award twice. He has also won the Jack Hodgins Fiction Prize, and has been included in The Journey Prize Anthology and Best Canadian Stories. Furthermore, Jarman's Salvage King, Ya! is placed on Amazon Canada's 50 Essential Canadian books as well as number one on their best hockey fiction list. Mark Anthony Jarman is the author of Knife Party at the Hotel Europa, My White Planet, 19 Knives, New Orleans Is Sinking, Dancing Nightly in the Tavern, and the travel book Ireland’s Eye. Mark Anthony Jarman has also published in Walrus, Canadian Geographic, The Barcelona Review, Vrij Nederland and reviews for The Globe and Mail.
