Your ggreat books of 2012 have been revealed. The 14 winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards were announced today by the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Council funds and administers the GGs, the most significant literary award program in Canada, providing close to $ 450,000 in prize money. They are awarded in both English and French in seven categories: fiction, poetry, drama, non‑fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.
“The verdict is in, and it’s another great year for Canadian literature,” s
aid Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council. “The winning titles offer a wealth of reading options for Canadians of all ages, and demonstrate once again that Canada punches beyond its weight in the literary arena.”
Some highlights from this year’s announcement:
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Ten out of 14 winners of the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Awards are women.
-
Nigel Spencer wins for the third time, each time for the translation of a book by Marie-Claire Blais.
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Normand Chaurette wins for the second year in a row, his fourth GG overall.
“Everyone involved in the creation of a book—including writers, illustrators, translators and publishers—has a story to tell,” said His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. “The Governor General’s Literary Awards is not only a chance to honour our very best books, but it is also a chance to pay tribute to Canadians who are rising stars in the world of literature. I congratulate all the winners who have worked hard to add their tale to our collective memories.”
The names of the winners and titles of their works are listed below, together with peer assessment committee members’ comments for each work. Biographical information and downloadable photos of the winners and book covers are posted on the
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Winners
Fiction
Linda Spalding, Toronto,
The Purchase
(McClelland & Stewart, a division of Random House of Canada; distributed by the publisher
)
An historical novel about race, religion and family, Linda Spalding’s The Purchase is refreshingly free of retrospective judgment. Told in warm, dignified prose, the novel concerns a shunned Quaker man who moves his family to slave-holding Virginia. Out of misplaced compassion, he buys a slave boy at an auction, forever changing many lives.
France Daigle
, Moncton, New Brunswick,
Pour sûr
(Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
A fine and ambitious project, Pour sûr by France Daigle is a masterful work that dazzles. This Rubik’s cube of a novel allows for multiple digressions on the French language and its variations. Chiac (Acadian French), the star of this monumental novel, opens a door that is essential to understanding the Acadian identity.
Poetry
Julie Bruck, San Francisco, California (originally from Montréal),
Monkey Ranch
(Brick Books; distributed by
LitDistCo)
Monkey Ranch by Julie Bruck leaps about the ordinary world with a deft detachment and flexible artistry – guiding us with its offbeat, caring and companionable sensibility. “There’s enough light to see by,” says Julie Bruck, even though the children turn their eyes away. This humane voice, quirky and patient, will see you through a world stripped of miracles.
Maude Smith Gagnon
, Montréal,
Un drap. Une place.
(Éditions Triptyque; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
Author Maude Smith Gagnon displays a lovely grasp of language through well-crafted narrative touches. In a spare, minimalist, Oriental-like form Un drap. Une place, pays homage to the intensity of being. Bit by bit her words permeate memory and absence, welcoming the most seemingly insignificant event in the world as the advent of great things.
Drama
Catherine Banks, Sambro, Nova Scotia, It is Solved by Walking
( Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press
)
In It is Solved by Walking, a poetic deconstruction of Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” Catherine Banks creates a singular and inspired love story that is also a meditation on the need to give full expression to the complexity of one’s inner life.
Geneviève Billette
, Montréal,
Contre le temps
(Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)
Geneviève Billette’s Contre le temps succeeds, with 19th-century mathematician Évariste Galois, in echoing highly contemporary questions and delving into the intimate to reach the universal. The author creates tremendous hope in the midst of troubled times.
Non-fiction
Ross King, Woodstock, United Kingdom (originally from North Portal, Saskatchewan),
Leonardo and the Last Supper
(Bond Street Books, an imprint of Doubleday Canada; distributed by
Random House of Canada)
Leonardo and the Last Supper is a combination of brilliant storytelling and superlative writing. Ross King portrays the towering genius of Leonardo in a way that will engage experts and delight a general audience. Impeccable research delivered with a novelist’s panache.
Normand Chaurette
, Montréal,
Comment tuer Shakespeare
(Presses de l’Université de Montréal; distributed by Socadis)
Normand Chaurette’s Comment tuer Shakespeare is a personal essay from a poetic stylist and an original voice that reveals the hand-to-hand combat between the translator and a monumental literary figure. The author adeptly underscores the pleasures and challenges of translation, as well as the metaphorical murder this creative process entails.
Children’s Literature — Text
Susin Nielsen, Vancouver,
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
(Tundra Books, an imprint of Random House of Canada; distributed by
the publisher)
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen is an engaging grief story. Thought‑provoking and relevant, it addresses the effects of bullying in a realistic, compelling and compassionate way, exemplifying the adage, “There are two sides to every story.” Henry’s journey is moving and weirdly, wildly funny.
Aline Apostolska
, Montréal,
Un été d’amour et de cendres
(Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)
With Un été d’amour et de cendres, Aline Apostolska takes readers into the chaotic socio-political context of a Tibetan enclave in northern India, with the only references being the dramatic tale of first love. A powerful novel in sensitive, spare and uncompromising language.
Children’s Literature — Illustration
Isabelle Arsenault, Montréal, Virginia Wolf , text by Kyo Maclear
( Kids Can Press ; distributed by University of Toronto Press
)
Isabelle Arsenault’s Virginia Wolf is an imaginative journey into the world of children’s dreams and creativity. This delightfully whimsical and tactile book has the feeling of children’s sidewalk drawings. Through her unique style, the illustrator merges fantasy, emotions and inspiration.
Élise Gravel
, Montréal, La clé à molette, text by Élise Gravel
(Éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel until December 31, and by Messageries de Presse Benjamin thereafter)
In a style that resembles a retro advertising design, Élise Gravel questions consumer culture by creating a story and characters that are simple, fun and lively. Filled with absurd objects and sly criticisms, La clé à molette is colourful, coherent and original.
Translation
Nigel Spencer, Montréal,
Mai at the Predators’ Ball
(House of Anansi Press; distributed by
HarperCollins Canada)
English translation of Mai au bal des prédateurs by Marie-Claire Blais (Les Éditions du Boréal)
What Nigel Spencer has achieved with the translation of Marie Claire Blais’s Mai au bal des prédateurs is nothing short of brilliance. He has met the formidable challenge of conveying in English the complexity and richness of this narrative with a mastery that is stunning in its range of colour and tone.
Alain Roy
, Montréal,
Glenn Gould
(Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
French translation of Glenn Gould by Mark Kingwell (Penguin Group Canada)
It took courage and endurance to tackle this demanding work. The translator, Alain Roy, has consistently shown concern for concision and precision without ever sacrificing the subtleties of the contents. This masterful translation of Glenn Gould is obviously grounded in extensive research, making it a wonderfully lucid read.
The peer assessment committees
The winners for the Governor General’s Literary Awards are chosen by peer assessment committees (seven English and seven French categories) appointed by the Canada Council. The committees, which meet separately, consider all eligible books published between September 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012 for English-language books and between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 for French-language books. This year,
1015 titles in the English-language categories and 683 titles in the French-language categories were submitted
.
English-language committees
Fiction:
Randy Boyagoda (Toronto), C.P. Boyko (Victoria, B.C.), Susan C. Haley (Wolfville, N.S.)
Poetry:
Lydia Kwa (Vancouver), Brent MacLaine (Charlottetown, P.E.I.), Monty Reid (Gloucester, Ont.)
Drama:
Daniel Karasik (Toronto), Colleen Wagner (Gagetown, N.B.), Marcus Youssef (Vancouver)
Non-fiction:
Brian Thomas Brett (Salt Springs Island, B.C.), Michael Terry Harris (Lunenburg, N.S.), Marina Nemat (Aurora, Ont.)
Children’s Literature – Text:
Deborah Delaronde-Falk (Winnipegosis, Man.), Richard Scrimger (Cobourg, Ont.), Maxine Trottier (Newman’s Cove, N.L.)
Children’s Literature – Illustration:
Shea Chang (Toronto), Patsy Mackinnon (New Waterford, N.S.), Maxwell Newhouse (Cultus Lake, B.C.)
Translation – French to English:
Dawn M. Cornelio (Guelph, Ont.), David Scott Hamilton (Vancouver), Denise Merkle (Moncton, N.B.)
French-language committees
Fiction:
Hugues Corriveau (Montréal), Christine Eddie (Québec), Eileen Lohka (Calgary)
Poetry:
Robert Berrouët-Oriol (Montréal), Herménégilde Chiasson (Grand-Barachois, N.B.), Suzanne Jacob (Montréal)
Drama:
Suzanne Lebeau (Montréal), Patrick Leroux (Pointe-Claire, Que.), Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon (Montréal)
Non-fiction:
Monika Boehringer (Sackville, N.B.), Gaëtan Brulotte (Trois-Rivières, Que.), Shing Selao (Burlington, Vt.)
Children’s Literature – Text:
Linda Amyot (Saint-Charles-Borromée, Que.), Laurent Poliquin (Winnipeg), Matthieu Simard (Montréal)
Children’s Literature – Illustration:
Pascale Bonenfant (Quebec), Diego Herrera (Yayo) (Montréal), Marc Keelan-Bishop (Carrying Place, Ont.)
Translation – English to French:
Isabelle Collombat (Quebec), Sathya Rao (Edmonton), Michel Saint‑Germain (Montréal)
Additional information
Each winner will receive a specially-bound copy of the winning book, created by Montréal bookbinder Lise Dubois, in addition to the $ 25,000 prize. The publisher of each winning book receives $3,000 to support promotional activities. Non‑winning finalists receive $1,000 in recognition of their selection as finalists, bringing the total value of the awards to approximately $450,000.
Awards ceremony at Rideau Hall
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present the 2012 GG Literary Awards on Wednesday, November 28 at 6 pm at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa. Media representatives wishing to cover the awards presentation should contact Marie-Ève Létourneau at the Rideau Hall Press Office, 613-998-0287 or
marie-eve.letourneau@gg.ca.
Media contact:
Mireille Allaire:
(613) 566-4414 or 1-800-263-5588, ext. 4523
mireille.allaire@canadacouncil.ca
Heather McAfee:
(613) 566-4414 or 1-800-263-5588, ext. 4166
heather.mcafee@canadacouncil.ca
To book interviews with authors, illustrators and translators:
English-language:
Diane Hargrave Public Relations
416-467-9954, ext. 104
dhprbks@interlog.com
Chris DiRaddo Communications
514-806-5087
cd@christopherdiraddo.com
French-language:
Communications Judith Landry
514-234-4899
judithcommunications@gmail.com
Cindy Blanchette
514-601-6296
cindycommunications@gmail.com