Nino Ricci

Canadian Author Biography

Canadian best-selling author Nino Ricci was born in 1959 in Learnington, Ontario to a family of six children. As a student he studied in Florence, Italy, at York University in Toronto, and Concordia University in Montreal. After studies he began to write.

His first novel, "The Lives of Saints" which is part of a trilogy began as his master's thesis in university. Ricci did not know whether his piece was publishable but when it was finished he gained international fame. He then wrote the second novel of the trilogy, "In the Glass House " which received rave reviews from London writing critics and his final novel, " Where She Has Gone " did just as well.

He became director, then president of the Canadian Center of International PEN, a human rights organization that dealt with freedom of expression. Along with being head of a respectable organization Ricci began to teach all over the world including in Canada, and Nigeria.

Ricci's trilogy novels have been printed in several countries and won many awards in Canada, England, and France. His most recent fourth novel, "Testament" was awarded the Trillium Award and received several nominations for others. All of Nino Ricci's novels deal with saints and faith which has reached out to many readers, and he has been known for his ability to create believable characters in believable worlds. His stories deal with immigrant characters where he is able to draw material from his Italian-Canadian background. Coming from a large farming family Nino Ricci has become one of the best selling authors in Canada.