Richard Canal (born 1953) is a French author and screenwriter in the science-fiction, fantasy, mainstream and thriller genres.
Biography
After a PhD in Toulouse III University, he became a teacher-researcher in computer science. He has lived in Africa for many years where he teaches artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems and genetic algorithms. There, he manages computer & mathematics departments in universities, writes and leads major projects in higher education for French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially in Senegal and Cameroon. When he moved to Asia, he is recruited by the Francophone University Agency (AUF) as leader of its outpost in Laos, then as headmaster of graduate institutes in Vietnam (IFI) and Tunisia (IFIC).
Richard Canal is an ardent defender of a literary science fiction with style. His first short novel appears in the magazine Fiction in April 1983. Another short novel, C.H.O.I.C.E., is crowned in 1986 with a prize annually awarded by the Quebec magazine Solaris just before ÃÂtoile receives the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire in 1989. La malédiction de lâÂÂéphémère (1986) is his first novel. He wins the Rosny-Aîné Award two years in a row for Ombre blanche in 1994 and Aube noire in 1995, two novels in his African Trilogy.
As for thrillers, La Route de Mandalay is published in 1998. His second novel in this field, Cyberdanse macabre (1999), features an astrophysicist, Mark Sidzik, who investigates the wrongdoings of a multinational microprocessor chip manufacturer with the help of Internet hackers. Gandhara (2018) moves from a hard boiled detective style (Hammet or Chandler like) to a postmodern thriller. It tells the epic journey of a private detective from Nice to London, from Bangkok to Kabul, in a world shaken by terrorist attacks.
In Upside Down (2020), his last novel, Richard Canal signs his return to an ambitious and universal science fiction, a main revealing of the major concerns of our time.
Writings
Novel
Science-fiction
- La Malédiction de lâÂÂÃÂphémère, La Découverte, 1986
- Les Ambulances du Rêve, Fleuve Noir, 1986
- La Légende ÃÂtoilée, Fleuve Noir, 1987
- Les Voix Grises du Monde Gris, Fleuve Noir, 1987
- Villes vertiges, L'Aurore, 1988
- Swap-Swap, J'ai Lu nð 2836, 1990
- La Guerre en ce Jardin, Fleuve Noir, 1991
- Ombres Blanches, J'ai Lu nð 3455, 1993
- Aube Noire, J'ai Lu nð 3669, 1994
- Le Cimetière des Papillons, J'ai Lu nð 3908, 1995
- La Malédiction de lâÂÂÃÂphémère (revised), J'ai Lu, 1996
- Les Paradis Piégés, J'ai Lu nð 4483, 1997
- Animamea (revised from 2,3,4), Infini sans frontière, 2003
- Deloria, Mnémos, 2006
- Upside Down, Mnémos, 2020
Thriller
- La route de Mandalay, L'Atalante, 1998
- Gandhara, Séma Editions (Belgium), 2018
- L'Equilibre du mal, Séma Editions (Belgium), 2019
Mainstream
- Cyberdanse macabre, Flammarion, 1999
- Cyberdanse macabre, France Loisir (Reedition), 2000
- L'Ombre du Che, Flammarion, 2000
- Equinoxes, Evidence Editions, 2020
Short novel
- â Préméditation âÂÂ, Extraordinaire Magazine 3-4-5, 1982
- â Auto-Régulation 1 âÂÂ, Archipel nð3, 1982
- â Auto-Régulation 2 âÂÂ, Archipel nð4, 1982
- â Contribution àlâÂÂétude des répercussions névrotiques de lâÂÂunivers concentrationnaire sur lâÂÂindividu â Rivages nð10, 1983
- â Deux Silhouettes sur un Mur de Gaufrettes âÂÂ, Fiction nð339, 1983
- â Ne me quitte pas âÂÂ, Espaces Libres nð13, July â September, 1983
- â Divertissement tragique âÂÂ, Edition Michel Ruf SF livre poche nð2, 1983
- â Radiation Blues âÂÂ, Rock & Folk 200, September 1983
- â Te souviens-tu de Rosa ? âÂÂ, Vopaliec nð54 bis, September 1983
- â Autorégulation âÂÂ, A&A nð86, September 1983
- â Le cÃ
Âur Fracassé âÂÂ, Fiction nð345, November 1983
- â Les Risques du Métier âÂÂ, Fiction nð348, February 1984
- â Un si Joli Puits âÂÂ, Fiction nð350, April 1984
- â Le Passé comme une Corde autour de notre Cou âÂÂ, Fiction Spécial Francophonie nð355 Bis, August 1984
- â Tentation âÂÂ, Français dâÂÂAfrique nð11, July 1985
- â Ton Linceul sera de Sable âÂÂ, Proxima nð 8, 4th quarter 1985
- â Délivrance âÂÂ, Catalogue Librairie Ailleurs nð9, October 1985
- â Flèche dâÂÂAzur âÂÂ, La Vie du Rail nð2055, July 1986
- â C.H.O.I.X. âÂÂ, Solaris nð68, July August 1986
- â Le Dernier Village âÂÂ, Espaces Imaginaires nð4, 4th quarter 1986
- â Le Sentier de la Désolation âÂÂ, Imagine nð36, October 1986
- â Comme un gosse qui entend craquer le monde âÂÂ, 10 Ans dâÂÂAilleurs, November 1986
- â ÃÂtoile âÂÂ, JâÂÂai Lu Univers nð88, 1988
- â C.H.O.I.X. âÂÂ, Proxima nð4, 1988
- â Les Risques du métier âÂÂ, La frontière éclatée / Grande anthologie de la S.F./ Edition Le Livre de Poche, November 1989
- â Sur les Rives de la Mémoire âÂÂ, Phénix nð21, April 1990
- â Mille Soleils âÂÂ, JâÂÂai Lu Univers nð90, June 1990
- â Hurlements âÂÂ, Atelier du Gué Brèves nð33-34, July 1990
- â Le lac des cygnes âÂÂ, Phénix nð23, August 1990
- â Petit Paul, Petit Jean et mon Oncle âÂÂ, Phénix nð26, February 1991
- â Villedieu â coécrit avec J.C. Dunyach, Solaris nð97, May June 1991
- â Crever les yeux de Dieu âÂÂ, Denoël Territoires de lâÂÂInquiétude nð7,1993
- â Vers lâÂÂÃÂternelle Grisaille âÂÂ, LâÂÂEncrier Renversé nð20, Spring 1995
- â Les heureux damnés âÂÂ, JâÂÂai Lu Anthologie Genèses, 1996
- â Les grenats et les anges âÂÂ, Atelier du Gué Brèves nð52, April 1997
- â <nowiki>HTTP://WWW.CS.Starsong</nowiki> âÂÂ, Galaxies Spécial, March 1998
- â Dernier embarquement pour Cythère âÂÂ, Fleuve Noir Anthologie Escales sur lâÂÂhorizon, April 1998
- â Retour au Paradis âÂÂ, Libération, December 1998
- â Le souffleur de rêves â coécrit avec Noé Gaillard, Fleuve Noir Anthologie Fantasy, January 1999
- â Potemkine âÂÂ, Solaris Numéro spécial international 127, 1999
- â Les Aelhomin âÂÂ, coécrit avec Alexis Ulrich, Phénix nð Spécial 50, March 1999
- â Souvenirs dâÂÂun SpiritKiller âÂÂ, Le Soir (Bruxelles), March 1999
- â Gorée âÂÂ, Terres des Ecrivains Site Web, August 1999
- â Moi, le maudit âÂÂ, Orion Editions Anthologie Privés de Futur, February 2000
- â LâÂÂhomme lourd âÂÂ, Festival de Montmorillon 2000, June 2000
- â Ton linceul sera de sable âÂÂ, Fleuve Noir Anthologie Royaumes, June 2000
- â Le souffleur de rêves â coécrit avec Noé Gaillard, Naturellement Anthologie Forces Obscures, October 2000
- â Souvenirs d'un spirit killer âÂÂ, Nouvelle Donne nð 22, October 2000
- â Délire psycho âÂÂ, Phénix nð66, January 2002
- â Mille soleils âÂÂ, Naturellement Anthologie Les enfants du Mirage/Les chefs-dâÂÂÃ
Âuvre de la SF française 1980-1990, May 2002
- â Les enfants du Chaos ", Mnemos Anthologie Icares 2004, November 2003
- â Ukiyo-e âÂÂ, Revue Imagine, Décember 2004
- â Le secret de Mme Hargreaves âÂÂ, Mnemos Anthologie Alice, January 2005
- " LâÂÂenfant du futur " Anthologie Elric, Fleuve Noir, 2007
- " Le choeur malade ", with Noé Gaillard, Galaxies-SF, nð 62, December 2019
Awards
- Solaris Award in 1986 for "C.H.O.I.X"
- Grand prix de l'Imaginaire Award in 1989 for "ÃÂtoile"
- Rosny-Aîné award in 1994 for "Ombres blanches" and in 1995 for "Aube noire"
References
External links