He has published eleven novels and two collections of short stories since 1993 and is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

[1][2] His 2005 novel The Time in Between won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and he was a finalist again in 2010 (for The Matter With Morris) and 2020 (for Here the Dark), making the long list in 2008 (for The Retreat).

[3] Raised Mennonite,[2] Bergen has noted that the tendency of the church to stifle questions and criticism affected his decision to write fiction.

His 2005 novel The Time in Between won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, received a coveted starred review in the Kirkus Reviews trade magazine, and was recently longlisted for the 2007 International Dublin Literary Award.

[4] He is also the author of a collection of short fiction, Sitting Opposite My Brother (1993), which was a finalist for the Manitoba Book of the Year.