David Elias is the author of three other books – two short story collections (Crossing the Line, 1992 and Places of Grace, 1997) and one novel (Sunday Afternoon, 2004). His work has also appeared in many journals and periodicals in Canada and the U.S. His short story “How I Crossed Over”, which appeared in Places of Grace, was a finalist for the 1995 Journey Prize. Sunday Afternoon was nominated for numerous awards, including McNally Robinson Book of the Year, the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction, and the Books in Canada First Novel Award.
David holds a philosophy degree from the University of Manitoba and divides his time between teaching and writing. He currently lives in Winnipeg where he is active in the Winnipeg Philharmonic choir.
From the author:
I never felt driven to write my first book. I chose to. It was a conscious decision to tough it out. Then, after the first one, I realized that I could do it and so I was left with no excuse not to do it again. That was the start of a life-long journey of becoming a writer. I’ve been at it ever since. I have not yet arrived. For me, becoming a writer (or any other kind of artist, for that matter) is part of a larger process - that of becoming more human. It’s a way to get closer to that ideal. I’ve always found so much in life that dehumanizes in big and little ways, and art is a way for me to fight against it.
And if I see the world as a problem a lot of the time, the writing is a way for me to explore that problem - I have no illusions about trying to solve it. In fact, I am not all that interested in a solution - at least not the kind you would find on Oprah, or read about in a self-help book. It’s never going to be that neat or easy or simple. Still, it is important for me to search, to try and find some small possibilities that all of us can share. Writing is my way of looking for what is possible.
That’s really what Betty and Sal, the main characters in Waiting For Elvis, are doing. They're simply going about the business of trying to become human. They both find themselves in dehumanizing situations, and it is their desire to fight against it - as much as any desire for each other - that draws them together. It's really a book about a long and complicated and on-going process that may never come to completion, but is nevertheless worth engaging in.
