Giispune at 07:52, 27 December 2025

2025-12-27T07:52:37Z

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{{short description|Canadian writer (born 1935)}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Ben Antao
| image = Canada, Goans, publishing (cropped).jpg
| caption = Antao in 2010
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|08|12}}
| birth_place = [[Velim, Goa]], [[Portuguese India]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Journalist|teacher|writer|financial planner}}
| nationality = {{ubl|
* Portuguese (until 1961)
* Indian (former)
* Canadian}}
| alma_mater = {{plainlist|
* [[University of Toronto]] ([[B.Ed]])
* [[University of Bombay]] ([[Master of Arts|M.A.]])}}
| period = 1990–present
}}

'''Ben Antao''' (born August 12, 1935), is a Canadian writer, journalist, former teacher, and certified financial planner. He is currently based in [[Toronto]], Canada.<ref name=b&n /><ref name=goanforum /><ref name=wen />

==Early life and education==
Ben Antao was born in [[Velim, Goa]], [[Portuguese India]] during the [[Portuguese Empire]] (now in India). He graduated from the [[University of Bombay]] (M.A. in English).{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==Career==
===Journalism (1963–1967)===
Antao first worked as a reporter for ''[[The Navhind Times]]'' in [[Panjim]], [[Goa]] (1963–64) and later joined ''[[The Indian Express]]'' (1965–66) in [[Bombay]] as a reporter. In 1966, he was awarded a journalism fellowship by the [[World Press Institute]] based at [[Macalester College]], [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], for a year of study and travel in the United States.<ref name=wpi /> While in the US, he worked for ten weeks as a writer and editor for ''[[The Denver Post]]'', CO. After immigrating to Canada in 1967, he worked for ''The Catholic Register'' weekly and ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', both of Toronto.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Teaching (1976–1998)===
In 1976, he graduated from the [[University of Toronto]] (B.Ed) and switched to a teaching career. He retired from teaching English in high school in 1998.<ref name=clamor />

===Writing (1990–present)===
In 1990, he published ''Images of Goa'', a memoir of his early life and experiences in his native land. In 2004, he published ''Goa, A Rediscovery'', a travelogue of his visit to Goa. He has written five novels, over two dozen short stories, a play and a movie script based on his novel ''The Tailor's Daughter''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lb9lAAAAMAAJ|title=The Tailor's Daughter: A Novel|last=Antao|first=Ben|date=2006|publisher=Goan Observer|isbn=9788189837020|language=en}}</ref> His other novels are ''Blood & Nemesis'', ''Penance'', ''Living on the Market'',<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jb9lAAAAMAAJ&q=ben+antao|title=Penance: A Novel|last=Antao|first=Ben|date=2006|publisher=Goan Observer|isbn=9788189837020|language=en}}</ref> ''The Priest and His Karma'', and ''Money and Politics''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hztnPgAACAAJ|title=The Priest and His Karma|last=Antao|first=Ben|date=2009|publisher=PublishAmerica|isbn=9781607498094|language=en}}</ref> His non-fiction includes two memoirs: ''Images of Goa'' (2011, 2ed)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SxYkmAEACAAJ&q=ben+antao|title=Images of Goa: A Memoir|last=Antao|first=Ben|date=2011|publisher=CinnamonTeal Pub.|isbn=9789380151953|language=en}}</ref> and ''Images of the USA'' (2009), and two travelogues: ''Goa, A Rediscovery'' (2004)<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://library.unigoa.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=88493&query_desc=au:Antao,%20%20Ben|title=Goa a rediscovery|last=Antao|first=Ben|date=2004|publisher=Goan Observer Pvt. Ltd|location=Goa}}</ref> and ''The Lands of Sicily'' (2008).<ref name=owc /><ref name=stellar /><ref name=gat />

Antao is a former president of the [[Canadian Authors Association]] (Toronto branch).<ref name=owc />

==References==
<references>

<ref name=b&n>''Blood & Nemesis'' About the Author page</ref>
<ref name=clamor>[http://clamorworld.com/exclusive-interview-with-ben-antao-indo-candian-writer-of-five-novels-two-memoirs-two-travelogues-as-well-as-several-short-stories-by-vinita-kinra/ "ClamorWorld interview"] Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=goanforum>[http://www.colaco.net/1/ben.htm "Ben Antao at The Goan Forum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707011107/http://www.colaco.net/1/ben.htm |date=2015-07-07 }} Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=owc>[http://www.thewritersconference.com/2011-bios/Ben-Antao.html "Ontario Writers' Conference bio"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502002654/http://www.thewritersconference.com/2011-bios/Ben-Antao.html |date=May 2, 2014 }} Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=stellar>[http://www.stellarliteraryfestival.com/talent2013.html "Stellar Literary Festival talent"] Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=wen>[http://wenetwork.ca/site/membership/bio/?memnum=3 "Writers and Editors Network bio"] Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=wpi>[http://www.worldpressinstitute.org/1967class "WPI fellowships 1967"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502000041/http://www.worldpressinstitute.org/1967class |date=2014-05-02 }} Retrieved 01 May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=gat>[http://globalasiantimes.com/financial-planner-turned-fiction-writer-talks-money-and-politics-in-new-book/ "Global Asian Times interview"] Retrieved 28 October 2015.</ref>

</references>

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antao, Ben}}
[[Category:Canadian male novelists]]
[[Category:Canadian male short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian memoirists]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Goan descent]]
[[Category:Novelists from Toronto]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Canadian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian short story writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian short story writers]]
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:Novelists from Goa]]
[[Category:Writers from North Goa district]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian male writers]]
[[Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers]]

Ben Antao - Revision history

Giispune at 07:52, 27 December 2025