Governor General's Award Winners 2016 Announced

Friday, Oct 28, 2016 at 3:31pm

The 2016 Governor General's Awards released its list of winners on October 25. Each individual author will take home a prize of $25,000, as well as invaluable literary exposure on both a national and international scale.

The winners in each category are as follows:

• Fiction: Madeleine Thien, Do Not Say We Have Nothing
• Poetry: Steven Heighton, The Waking Comes Late
• Dramatic Work: Colleen Murphy, Pig Girl
• Non-Fiction: Bill Waiser, A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905
• Youth Literature: Martine Leavitt, Calvin
• Illustrated Youth Literature: Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka, Tokyo Digs a Garden 
• Translated Work: Catherine Leroux, The Party Wall (Translated by Lazer Lederhendler)

For the official list of 2016 winners and finalists, click here.

Categories: Awards, Authors, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Publishing News, Book Lists, Literature

2016 Man Booker Prize Awarded to Paul Beatty

Friday, Oct 28, 2016 at 2:35pm

After much deliberation, Paul Beatty has been chosen as the winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his novel, The Sellout. The £50,000 ($87,000 CAN) prize is awarded annually to the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom. Previously restricted to authors hailing from the UK and the Commonwealth, the prize opened its doors to all English-language authors in 2014. This is the first time that the prize has been given to an American writer.

The Sellout is a darkly comical novel about race relations in America. It follows the story of the young narrator, Bonbon, who stirs up controversy in his Californian town by setting out to reintroduce slavery and segregation to his high school. The book, which has been described as a "blistering satire" by the New York Times, uses Beatty's unique flavour of humour to take an unflinchingly honest look at racial prejudices and stereotypes.

54-year-old Beatty is the author of three other novels: Slumberland, Tuff, and The Whiteboy Shuffle. He has also published two books of poetry, and is the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. He currently lives in New York City.

Categories: Awards, Authors, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Publishing News, Literature

Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 goes to Bob Dylan

Thursday, Oct 13, 2016 at 11:59am

In an announcement that surprised many, the Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 has been awarded to Bob Dylan.

This is the first time that the Nobel Prize in Literature has gone to a writer known primarily as a musician. The Swedish Academy, who manages the Nobel Prizes, said the award went to Dylan "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

The announcement was met with mixed responses, some parties upset that the Prize went to a sing-songwriter rather than a novelist or poet, though the majority seems to support Dylan's win.

Considering the lyrical form does qualify as literature — not to mention the stark beauty of Dylan's lyrics, as well as the handful of books under his belt — we think it's a fine choice. Congratulations, Mr. Dylan!

You can read more about prize announcement here.

Categories: Awards, Saskatoon, Winnipeg

Governor General's Awards Shortlist Released

Saturday, Oct 08, 2016 at 1:24pm

The Canada Council for the Arts recognizes its country's rich literary landscape with the annual Governor General's Literary Awards (GGs). The awards cover a generous number of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, youth literature, youth illustrated literature, and works in translation.

The winners in each category will be announced on October 25, 2016. Each individual winner will receive a $25,000 prize, and each runner-up will be awarded $1,000. The publishers that put forth the works will also be given $3,000 for promotional purposes.

Categories: Awards, Authors, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Book Lists, Literature

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