Maria Reva is a Canadian writer of Ukrainian descent.12 She is most noted for her short story collection Good Citizens Need Not Fear.3
Life
Maria Reva was born in Ukraine, and lived in Kherson until she was 7 years old. In 1997 Reva moved to Canada with her family and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia.4 She is an MFA graduate of the University of Texas.1 Good Citizens Need Not Fear, her debut collection, was based in part on family stories of life in Soviet-era Ukraine.5 In 2025, her debut novel Endling was published.67
Apart from writing fiction, Reva writes librettos for operas working with various composers, including her sister, Anna Pidgorna.1
Her work has been published in The Atlantic, McSweeney's and the Best American Short Stories anthologies.
Books
- Good Citizens Need Not Fear. New York: National Geographic Books. 2021-02-09. ISBN 978-1-9848-9758-9.
- Endling. New York: Doubleday Books. 2025. ISBN 978-0-385-54531-0. 89
Awards and nominations
- 2018: RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers for the short story "The Ermine Coat",10 republished in Good Citizens Need Not Fear
- 2019: National Magazine Award for Fiction, for the short story "Unsound",11 republished as the novelette "Little Rabbit" in the collection Good Citizens Need Not Fear12
- Good Citizens Need Not Fear was considered for several awards:
- 2020: A shortlisted finalist for the 2020 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize13
- 2020: Shortlisted for the Canadian Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
- 2022: Recipient of the Canadian Kobzar Literary Award
- Endling:
- 2025: Long-listed for the Booker Prize14
- 2025: Winner of the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize15
- 2026: Winner of the Aspen Words Literary Prize16
- 2026: Shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award.17
References
References
- Dana Gee, "Maria Reva revisits old country in clever novel about survival in tough times". Vancouver Sun, March 26, 2020.
- Niko Bell, "For Ukrainian-Canadian Author Maria Reva, Humour is a Tool of Resistance", Montecristo Magazine, July 4, 2022.
- Jennifer Wilson, The Place You Call Home, a Good Citizens Need Not Fear review, The Nation, July 13/20 issue, 2020.
- Анастасія Курінська, Чи бути українському перекладу книги Марії Реви Endling, що номінована на Букерівську премію
- Kapka Kassabova, "Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Maria Reva review – an enthralling debut". The Guardian, June 11, 2020.
- S. Kirk Walsh (June 3, 2025). "A playfully inventive novel set in Ukraine asks serious questions". Washington Post.
- "Endling by Maria Reva". Kirkus Reviews. March 8, 2025.
- "She's a Snail Hunter, a Mail-Order Bride and a Kidnapper". The New York Times. 2025-06-14. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- Powers, John (2025-06-23). "'Endling' is a shape-shifting debut that takes on heavy themes with humor". NPR. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- Erin Balser, "Maria Reva wins $10K RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers". CBC Books, May 31, 2018.
- "Meet the Winners of the National Magazine Award for Fiction". LitHub. March 22, 2019.
- Elizabeth McCracken, ‘Little Rabbit’ by Maria Reva
- "Thomas King, Gil Adamson among finalists for $50K Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize". Toronto Star, October 6, 2020.
- "The longlist for the Booker Prize 2025 has been announced, and features a previous winner plus two debut novelists". The Booker Prizes.
- Cassandra Drudi, "Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Maria Reva, Roza Nozari among Writers’ Trust award winners". Quill & Quire, November 13, 2025.
- "Maria Reva’s Endling has won the 2026 Aspen Words Literary Prize.". LitHub, April 24, 2026.
- Cassandra Drudi, "Kate Cayley, Antonio Michael Downing, Maria Reva among finalists for Amazon Canada First Novel Award". Quill & Quire, May 6, 2026.
External links
External links
- Official website
- Wyss, Allison (2025-06-02). "Chaos Seeps Into Order: A Conversation with Maria Reva". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2025-07-27.