Dabydeen, Cyril

Cyril Dabydeen was born in Canje, Guyana, in 1945, to Indian immigrants. He began his writing career in the 1960s penning poetry, which led to his first award. In the 1970s, he relocated to Canada to study for his undergraduate degree at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, followed by a Master of Public Administration degree at Queens University.

Cyril is an important voice in Canada and the Caribbean whose work addresses human rights and explores the intersection of his identity as an Indian Guyanese Canadian. His relationship maintained with Guyana includes active support of the country’s independence movement and reflection on the imaginative connections between Canada and Guyana.

He is recipient of the City of Ottawa’s first award for Writing and Publishing, a Certificate of Merit from the Government of Canada, and the Guyana Prize for Literature. Cyril has served as Poet Laureate of Ottawa, and as a juror for Canadian, American, and international literary competitions, most notably, Canada’s Governor’s General Award and Neustadt International Prize for literature.

For over two decades, he has taught English and creative writing at Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa.

Created by Alston So, March 2026.