2015 Giller Prize

The longlist for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize was announced today.  The Giller is one of Canada's most prestigious literary prizes and is awarded to the best novel or short story collection published in English.  Last year's winner was Sean Michaels for Us Conductors.  Past winners include Esi Edugyan, Joseph Boyden, Alice Munro, M.G. Vassanji, Margaret Atwood,  Mordecai Richler, Austin Clarke, and Rohinton Mistry.

The shortlist will be announced on October 5 and the winner will be announced on November 10.  This year's jury consists of Cecil Foster, Alison Pick, Helen Oyeyemi, Alexander MacLeod, and John Boyne.

Here is the longlist for this year's prize:

Fifteen Dogs - Andre Alexis
Arvida - Samuel Archibald
If I Fall If I Die - Michael Christie
Outline - Rachel Cusk
UnderMajorDomoMinor - Patrick DeWitt
Close to Hugh - Marina Endicott
A Beauty - Connie Gault
All True Not a Lie in It - Alix Hawley
The Winter Family - Clifford Jackman
Daydreams of Angels - Heather O’Neill
Martin John - Anakana Schofield
Confidence - Russell Smith

So far I have only read two of the novels on the list - Fifteen Dogs and A Beauty.  I definitely thought Fifteen Dogs should be nominated for awards this season so I'm very happy to see it there.  Over the next two months, I plan to read all of these books as I already either own or have a library hold on all of the books.

Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to start reading!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Guestbook" by Holly Martin

Image
Welcome to Willow Cottage - throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home.  Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook! Annie Butterworth is the landlady of Willow Cottage, a beautiful cottage in the English countryside with a colourful array of guests.  Every guest is encouraged to write their thoughts in the guestbook and do they ever!  Love, loss, happiness, sadness, guilt, affairs, births, and surprises, it’s all in there.  Even Annie’s life gets caught up in the book. As a young widow, Annie herself is going through some changes.  And the appearance of her brother-in-law, celebrity crime writer Oliver Black isn’t helping.  As the guests of Willow Cottage go about their seaside vacations, Annie and Oliver must figure out how to move on in their lives, and most importantly, if they will do so together. The Guestbook by Holly Martin is a lovely, sweet, and unique book.  Written in the format of notes left in the guestbook,
Read more

"Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home" by Esi Edugyan

Image
“But where are you from, really?” This is a question that Canadians of all walks of life are often asked.  Part of our identity as Canadians is that we all come from somewhere else, and no matter how long ago, it is a defining part of who we are.   But for many people, this question is about more than where their family came to Canada from.  For many, it brings about a question of home and belonging.  These are the ideas that Esi Edugyan explored in her 2013 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home .  Born in Canada to parents from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has travelled to and lived in various countries, all the while searching for her identity and coming to understand the meaning of home. As an author, Edugyan also reflects on Canadian literature and the notion of the “Canadian story.”  Her wildly successful novel, Half-Blood Blues , was set outside of Canada, and something she often heard was that it was not a typical Canadian novel.  But a
Read more

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Image
I am so excited to be participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog . There are over 50 participants hosting giveaways on their blog between October 15 and October 19. Be sure to hop around and check out all the awesome giveaways! My Giveaway Award season is underway in the Canadian literary world and to celebrate I would like to send someone some fabulous Canadian literature. One lucky winner will be able to choose which book they would like me to send them. Here are the choices (click on title to find out more about the book): A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (bought at library sale) Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (bought at library sale) Two of the books were bought at a library sale as mentioned. They are still in good condition but are obviously well-loved and do still have the library stickers on them. The other t
Read more