TORONTO—The race is on for Canada’s most prestigious literary award as the Scotiabank Giller prize jury announced this year’s five shortlisted candidates on Oct. 1.
The finalists are:
• Will Ferguson for his novel 419 (Viking Canada)
• Alix Ohlin for her novel Inside (House of Anansi Press)
• Nancy Richler for her novel The Imposter Bride (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Kim Thúy for her novel Ru, translated by Sheila Fischman (Random House Canada)
• Russell Wangersky for his short story collection Whirl Away (Thomas Allen Publishers)
The candidates were chosen from a longlist of 13 books that were in turn selected from 142 submissions from 51 Canadian publishing houses.
The winner of the $50,000 prize will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at a gala event that will be broadcast later that evening on CBC Television. CBC'S Jian Ghomeshi will host the awards at the prestigious Ritz-Carleton Hotel in downtown Toronto.
That evening, literary professionals and devotees alike can look forward to the Scotiabank Giller Light Bash, an event that will allow guests to mingle while watching the gala live on screen and vote for their favourite books.
The Light Bash event is being organized in five Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Halifax. Proceeds will go to national literacy organization Frontier College. For more information, visit www.gillerlightbash.ca.
As part of the Giller buzz, CBC Books is holding the “Guess the Giller” contest, which will feature book excerpts, interviews, and Q&As, alongside a live chat during the Gala: www.cbc.ca/books/scotiabankgillerprize/
Prior to the awards, the finalists will also gather together to read from their nominated works at the International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront Centre as part of the festival’s closing night on Saturday, Oct. 27.
This is the 19th year of the Scotiabank Giller Prize that was created in memory of journalist Doris Giller by her husband Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch. Past winners include celebrated authors Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Michael Ondaatje, and Jane Urquhart.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
