Glen Phillips – Gitano Africano

A queer Jewish African-Canadian writer, musician, and entrepreneur at home on the shores of the Salish Sea, Glen Phillips was educated at HEC Montréal and the University of Victoria in environmental sciences and management. He speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hebrew, and Italian.

Glen is currently writing his fourth novel, and has also produced a compilation of photography and poetry, some of which have guitar accompaniment.

Below are a selection of his works. To purchase or read more, simply click on the images.

The Road to Benguela

A fictional narrative recounted through time by a boy tracing his family’s search for acceptance, safety, and stability across three continents from 1880 to the present. It is a touching story of wondering, a tale of our innate need to be different yet the same as those around us, to somehow blend in with our surroundings while not losing our sense of uniqueness and individuality. The narrator, a nameless boy from an immigrant family, finds himself caught up in the tides of political struggle, forced to watch as his family, community, and country are torn apart by the tyranny of Apartheid. Through events beyond his control, he is swept from Africa to a new land and compelled to confront his own individuality, while trying to find acceptance from others for his own deep secrets.

Titans I

In the early 22nd Century, in the midst of climate and technological change, the United States is overwhelmed by a crisis that threatens to tear the country apart and shatter a Cold War geopolitical order between two opposing alliances. Central to the crisis, America is increasingly controlled by a class of genetically engineered titans seeking to establish a new order based on genetic supremacy. Realizing the threat to the country’s democracy, a progressive alliance narrowly elects a President with a promise to stop them before it is too late. With time of the essence, the Administration employs a team of experts to plot a path forward. One of those experts is Zane Fischer, a brilliant mathematician who seizes the opportunity to prove himself; however, he soon discovers the path forward is far from certain, with powerful forces willing to use any means to stop the President’s plan.

Botafogo

Botafogo, a Portuguese word meaning “to set fire”, Botafogo is also a neighbourhood that features prominently in this novel, and was once home to one of Rio de Janeiro’s most famous football teams: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas. Drugs, corruption, murder, deceit, passion, and hate – all rolled into one in Glen Albert Phillips’ latest novel, set in Rio de Janeiro. This is a story of two worlds, told through a dozen lives in a city of fire: rich and poor, old and young, peaceful and violent, loving and deceitful, black and white, good and evil. Rio de Janeiro, with its stunning geographical setting, its diversity of races and religious beliefs, and its explosive mix of rich alongside poor, is indeed a place to set fire.

Poetic Chronicles

I always believed one could never be a philosopher without one or two catch phrases, several glossy terms, and the odd quotable thought. Thus, over the past couple of years, I have taken the time to put thoughts to paper, memories to journals, and tongue in cheek expressions to post-it notes. This book has neither structure nor form. Rather, it is none other than a scrapbook of journal entries and poems written by me, myself, and I. Open at your own risk, hopefully you’ll have a good laugh, and a deep enough reflection on some of the things I have had to say over the past few years.