By Liane Belway
Each autumn at Library and Archives Canada, we celebrate the best in Canadian literature by supporting the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Begun in 1936 and administered by the Canada Council for the Arts since 1959, these awards showcase the best in the year’s literary publishing. (Conveniently just in time for holiday shopping, in case you are looking for a gift for the book lovers in your life.) Reflecting Canada’s rich literary diversity, the fourteen winners in two official languages and seven categories were announced on October 30.
Here are all the winners, in English and French.
Fiction
The Red Word by Sarah Henstra, published by ECW Press and distributed by Jaguar Books Group, ISBN 978-1-77041-424-2.
De synthèse by Karoline Georges, published by Éditions Alto and distributed by Diffusion Dimedia, ISBN 978-2-89694-349-4.
Poetry
Wayside Sang by Cecily Nicholson, published by Talonbooks and distributed by PGC Books/Raincoast, ISBN 978-1-77201-182-1.
La raison des fleurs by Michaël Trahan, published by Le Quartanier and distributed by Diffusion Dimedia, ISBN 978-2-89698-359-9.
Drama
Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom by Jordan Tannahill, published by Playwrights Canada Press and distributed by University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-77091-917-4.
Venir au monde by Anne-Marie Olivier, published by Atelier 10 and distributed by Flammarion/Socadis, ISBN 978-2-89759-303-2.
Non-fiction
Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age by Darrel J. McLeod, published by Douglas & McIntyre and distributed by University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-77162-200-4.
Avant l’après : voyages à Cuba avec George Orwell by Frédérick Lavoie, published by La Peuplade and distributed by Diffusion Dimedia, ISBN 978-2-924519-75-2.
Young People’s Literature–Text
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster, by Jonathan Auxier, published and distributed by Puffin Canada/Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, ISBN 978-0-7352-6435-9.
Ferdinand F., 81 ans, chenille, by Mario Brassard, published by Soulières éditeur and distributed by Messageries ADP, ISBN 978-2-89607-413-6.
Young People’s Literature–Illustrated Books
They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki, published by Groundwood Books and distributed by University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-77306-020-0.
Le chemin de la montagne by Marianne Dubuc, published by Comme des géants and distributed by Diffusion Dimedia, ISBN 978-2-924332-40-5.
Translation
Descent into Night, translated by Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott, published by Mawenzi House Publishers and distributed by University of Toronto Press. It is a translation of Explication de la nuit by Edem Awumey, published by Les Éditions du Boréal, ISBN 978-1-988449-16-6.
Le Monde selon Barney, translated by Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, published by Les Éditions du Boréal and distributed by Diffusion Dimedia. It is a translation of Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler, published by Knopf Canada, ISBN 978-2-7646-2503-3.
Find out more:
A wealth of great Canadian literature in both official languages is represented in the GG selections, so check out the winners at your local library or search in Voilà, Canada’s catalogue to find a lending library near you.
Liane Belway is a librarian in the Acquisitions section of Published Heritage at Library and Archives Canada.
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