Hello All Canadian Author Group Members;

As suggested by Renee, I'm starting this thread to discuss this year's Giller Prize contest. Please post any comments on the books to be selected and your prediction for the winner.

The jury for the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize are as follows:

RUSSELL BANKS the author of sixteen works of fiction.

VICTORIA GLENDINNING who has written several award winning biographies.

ALISTAIR MACLEOD who is well known for his prize winning "No Great Mischief."

The Long List will be announced on Sept 21, followed by the Short List on Oct 6, and the awards Gala on Nov 10. More information is available on their website:
http://www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/

Latest News: Alice Monro has withdrawn her "Too Much Happiness" from contention. Her reason being that she's already won the award twice, for 1998’s "The Love of a Good Woman" and 2004’s "Runaway," and was hoping to give younger writers a chance for the prize.

Please post your predictions for the 2009 Long List here.

For starters, mine are, in no particular order, as follows:
- The Book of Negroes, By Lawrence Hill
- The Shack BY Willam, Paul Young
- The Cellist of Sarajevo, By Steven Galloway
- The Wife's Tale, By Lori Lansens
- Water for Elephants, By Sara Gruen
- The Flying Troutman, By Miriam Toews
- Devil Bones, By Kathy Reichs
- The Gargoyle, By Andrew Davidson
- All the Colours of Darkness, By Peter Robinson
- Beside Still Waters, By Barry Callaghan

(Note, some of the above may not be eligible as I did not check their exact required publication dates of between: between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009)

Best Regards,
Wally

To aid in forming your guesses for the long list here are the requirements that I am aware of:

To be eligible, a book must be a first-edition full length novel or short story collection, written by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

Books must be published in Canada in English between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009 to be eligible for the 2009 Prize.

Wally, you have picked some of my first guesses and then some. Good list so far.

Thank you Wally and Shannon. Great information and stiff competition. I like that Alice Munro pulled out for those reasons. Though it does sound kind of I don't know, arrogant? that she believes her presence in the competition would decrease another's chances for winning. Am I crazy that my brain went there when I read that?

I should have also mentioned that Alice Munro also recently won the Man Booker International Prize. She's won several GGs as well. It would seem that she's decided that at her age she's won enough prizes!

I know she's exceptionally talented, it just sounded odd when I read it. I do see her point though. It's not often you find someone not wishing to win something because they want someone else to succeed. That's awesome and should be encouraged.

Renee wrote: "I know she's exceptionally talented, it just sounded odd when I read it. I do see her point though. It's not often you find someone not wishing to win something because they want someone else to su..."

Renee, I thought along the same lines as you and if I were a writer, I would rather win with her in it than have her pull out so that I could win. The win would feel good but I would always wonder.... And it does seem a bit arrogant but when you are as successful as she is the expectations to win would be there.

I'm relieved to know it wasn't just me that went there. I'm competitive as well, so knowing someone else pulled out, believing they ruined anyone's chances of winning, that would irk me. It wouldn't feel like a 'real' win. I'd take the prize just the same, but you're right, I'd always wonder.

Sad to say, The book of Negores was published too early so it won't make the list. I haven't checked others though.

Shannon wrote: "Sad to say, The book of Negores was published too early so it won't make the list. I haven't checked others though."
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Looks like you are right. I just checked on Amazon and note the following dates for The Book of Negroes:
Hardcover - Jan 18 2007
Hardcover - Nov 1 2007 (US edition under the title of: Someone Knows My Name)
Paperback - Oct 15 2007

It seems that The Shack may also not qualify as well, since it was self-published, Windblown Media on: Hardcover - Jul 1 2008

It is interesting that both these books have been on the market for a while and (especially The Book Of Negroes) took some time to gain popularity.

Let's see what the Long List says on Sept 21st.

Best,
Wally

They are disqualified for being self published? That seems unfair. Shouldn't it be the writing that's judged and not how it was published?

As someone who has been self-publishing for 15 years, I can assure you that how you are published does indeed make a difference. We are shut out of professional associations, government grant programs and virtually all brick and mortar distribution systems. Here is a short version of the Giller submission requirements:

If you are a Canadian publisher and interested in submitting an entry for The 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize, please review the highlights of the submission package below. You can download the full text in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format by clicking on the appropriate link at the bottom of this page.

* Submissions for The Scotiabank Giller Prize may only be sent in by publishers as outlined in the Details and Rules of the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
* The Scotiabank Giller Prize is worth $70,000 (Cdn) annually. A purse of $50,000 is awarded to the author of the best Canadian full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English. Each of the finalists will receive $5,000.
* To be eligible, a book must be a first-edition full length novel or short story collection, written by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
* Books must be published in Canada in English between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009 to be eligible for the 2009 Prize.
* No self-published books shall be eligible.
* The decision of the judges as to whether a book is eligible shall be binding.
* THE FINAL DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF SUBMISSIONS FOR 2008 IS AUGUST 1, 2009.

Darn The Cellist of Sarajevo is also not elligible (published too early May 2008).

Well, I wouldn't even know where to start predicting what will be on the list. I will assume the Gargoyle but wow, its hard to guess.

Thank you for starting this post, Wally!

Shannon, I too think Andrew Davidson's 'The Gargoyle' will win, or Sara Gruen's 'Water for Elephants' however...they are all difficult choices and each deserving!

:)

Too bad about some not being elligible.

Clayton wrote: "As someone who has been self-publishing for 15 years, I can assure you that how you are published does indeed make a difference. We are shut out of professional associations, government grant progr..."
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Hi Clayton;
How true. The agents have set themselves up as (self-appointed) gatekeepers and mainstream publishers have 'circled their wagons' to keep the self-published authors out. But books like "The Shack" are proving them wrong again and again. The POD revolution has put a chink in their armour and it seems they are getting ready to face the ‘tsunami’ of the e-book revolution. Even Dan Brown's next bestseller will be available as an e-Book. We are living in interesting 'literary' times!

Best,
Wally

Ali wrote: "Thank you for starting this post, Wally!

Shannon, I too think Andrew Davidson's 'The Gargoyle' will win, or Sara Gruen's 'Water for Elephants' however...they are all difficult choices and each d..."

I didn't say that Gargoyle would win rather that it will likely be on the long list. Personally, and not knowing what it would be up against, I don't know that it should win (my apologies to Dvidson) . Water for Elephants is much too old (2007 I beleive) to make the list. how about Nino Ricci's Origin of the Species (a novel) I don't know what was published within the correct parameters.



The Origin of Species

Most of the books listed above aren't eligible, as they were published last year: The Book of Negroes, The Cellist of Sarajevo, Water for Elephants, The Flying Troutmans, The Gargoyle.

The Wife's Tale was published this year, I think. It could make the longlist. The shoe-in is Atwood, for the Year of the Flood. Munro would also be a shoe-in, had she not withdrawn.

I don't think any serious writer would much care that her withdrawal somehow tainted their win. Everyone knows that the awards process is a bit bogus. Whether I'd been proven better than Alice Munro would be the last thought in my mind; the first thought would be, how many books is this going to sell for me, followed by, how quickly can I get out of this shindig and cash this cheque.

I have to respond to this:
The agents have set themselves up as (self-appointed) gatekeepers....

Actually, 80 percent of books published in Canada are from unagented authors. And that's excluding self-published books.

Agents in this country only take on a sure thing, because the market is small. One of the common career paths for a Canadian novelist is to first publish a novel or short story collection with a small press. In Canada, unlike in the States, small press books are reviewed in major newspapers and receive a lot of critical attention. If your first novel gets good reviews, then you're likely to get picked up by an agent and have your next book with a major publisher.

For example, Lynn Coady had Strange Heaven published by Goose Lane Editions, and all her subsequent books were with Doubleday. Zoe Whittall's Bottle Rocket Hearts was published by Cormorant, and her second novel is coming out this fall, with Anansi. Joseph Boyden's Born With A Tooth was with Cormorant, also; now he's with Penguin, and has a Giller under his belt.

Things are a little more difficult for genre fiction, since most small presses don't publish genre fiction. (An exception being John McFetridge, with ECW Press.)

But it's demonstrably untrue that agents are the gatekeepers in this country. Small press editors are very important. You could argue that Canada's tradition of small-press publishing is one of the things that keeps Canlit thriving.

Hi everyone!

I am curious as to whether the following will be long list contenders:

Galore by Michael Crummey
February by Lisa Moore
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Suddenly by Bonnie Burnard - just under the wire with a September 11th release date.
The Last Woman by John Bemrose - squeaking in with at September 29th release date.

All of these writers have been previously considered for the Giller. My curiosity about The Winter Vault has more to do with Michaels success with Fugitive Pieces, yet not having won the Giller, and whether there is a possibility for "the body of work" being recognized (as small as her 'novel' body of work is).

Oh, Galloway was on the long list last year for The Cellist of Sarajevo, as was Ricci's The Origin of Species

Here is a link to the Wikipedia Giller page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotiabank_...

I couldn't actually find an 'official' Giller link that showed past nominees and winners.

I am really starting to see why these prizes can be important to an author. If we can't really pick any books out that were published this past year to make it to a long list then having a list provided followed by winners can only help to bring these novels into our Canadian collective conscious.

Very interesting. I have never gone through an exersize like this before (especially since I am jsut a reader and not an author).

Longlist contenders have just been announced and they are
(alphabetically):

Margaret Atwood - The Year of the Flood A Novel
Martha Baillie - The Incident Report
Kim Echlin - The Disappeared
Claire Holden Rothman - The Heart Specialist
Paulette Jiles - The Color of Lightning
Jeanette Lynes - The Factory Voice
Annabel Lyon - The Bishop's Man
Colin McAdam - Fall
Anne Michaels - The Winter Vault
Shani Mootoo - Valmiki's Daughter
Kate Pullinger - The Mistress Of Nothing

From the Giller Prize web site:

"Of the longlist, the jury writes:

"Though they vary stylistically and structurally and connect with and extend a range of novelistic traditions, every one of these twelve books is an excellent, beautifully crafted work of fiction with a cast of vividly realized, memorable characters. We were particularly impressed by the authors' broad and deep visions of society and their profound affection for humanity and the natural world. Equally impressive is their imaginative engagement with history, from that of ancient Greece to yesterday's breaking news, and even in a few cases, to the history of a dystopian future."

I am quite excited about this list, in particular I am happy for Claire Holden Rothman and Shani Mootoo. It is also interesting to see the smaller presses nicely represented."

The jury consists of:

Victoria Glendinning,Russell Banks, and Alistair MacLeod

"Equally impressive is their imaginative engagement with history...."

One of the major complaints about Canlit these days is the prize juries'fixation with historical fiction. Anywhere but Canada, any time but now.

Mordecai Richler said that a writer's job is to be an honest witness to his time and place. By Richler's yardstick, Canlit is failing. Only a couple of these books seen to engage with the issues of the day.

This seems to reflect a taste for escapism.

Well, this list shows me how out of touch I am in the literary world. I have only heard of two of the novels and not read any!

Andrew, are there some that you would have liked to see on the long list that aren't there that are not fixated on history or other parts of the world? I am wondering (remembering I am out of touch) whether it is the selection committee that is fixated or whether our novelists are dishing up historical courses at the expense of other dishes. Or are the novelists feeding us what they know selection committees (and the general population) will consume?

Actually, I can't think of a single "big" novel published this year in Canada that's not either set in the distant past, or a foreign country, or a dystopian future. So it's not just the jury. It is, first and foremost, our major publishers, who have noticed that historical fiction has broad appeal and therefore keep serving it up.

The shortlist is out....

by Kim Echlin
by Annabel Lyon
by Linden MacIntyre
by Colin McAdam
by Anne Michaels

You may "Guess the Giller" and win a prize, including attending the presentation dinner gala.

Entry form and contest info can be found at:

http://scotiabankgillerprize.ca/guessthe...

Good luck.

Wally

So, any guesses on which book will win? I will venture forth with Annabel Lyon winning the prize for The Golden Mean.

Note that Annabel Lyon is shortlisted for the Giller, the GG and the Rogers Writers' Trust prize. That's a pretty notable achievement -- it's pretty rare to get shortlisted for all three.

(But Rawi Hage did last year, for Cockroach, and then failed to win any of those awards.)

Andrew wrote: "Note that Annabel Lyon is shortlisted for the Giller, the GG and the Rogers Writers' Trust prize."


It is rare. Poor Rawi. I felt badly for him, hitting 0 for 3. It seemed sad. Still, I'm sure his book sales benefited from all of the hoopla.

Do you dare make a prediction?

I'll guess Annabel Lyon, as the safe bet.

I'd feel bad for Rawi Hage, but he won the Impac Dublin award, which kinda makes up for it.

My guess (and it is purely a wild stab in the dark) is for Winter Vault by Anne Michaels. In part because she is from my neck of the woods (more or less). Oh and I did hear an excerpt and it was quite lyrical.

Here is an interesting article from yesterdays Globe and Mail.

i've only read one on the short list - 'The Disappeared' and while it is well written and a fine story i don't think it measures up to past Giller Prize winners.

Steven Beattie is (as he did last year) reading and reviewing the shortlist on his blog:
http://www.stevenwbeattie.com/?cat=27

He's not too well pleased with this year's shortlist, so far. The Disappeared didn't seem to impress him much.

(Beattie is review editor of Quill & Quire, by the way.)

Hello!

The award ceremony is tonight and I have major Giller curiosity! I liked this article from Saturday's Globe and Mail.

Linden McIntyre.

And all the smart money was on Annabel Lyon.

My first thought, though, was that I'm thankful it wasn't ... well, I won't say who. Anyone who watched the broadcast, I think, would guess.

Doh! I clearly underrated Mr.McIntyre.

A.J. wrote: "Linden McIntyre.

And all the smart money was on Annabel Lyon.

My first thought, though, was that I'm thankful it wasn't ... well, I won't say who. Anyone who watched the broadcast, I think, would..."

You are such a tease. I did not get to watch the broadcast. My question is whether it is a requirement of CBC for their "own" to write a novel or to have someone in their family write one? I am sure that this one is better than the last two CBC related novels that I have read. (Hmm mmaybe 3).

Hey Andrew.

I'm with Shannon. As I also didn't see the broadcast, I can't make an educated guess on who you are thankful it wasn't. C'mon...give us a hint! I am also curious as to what this person did, that was shown on the broadcast, to cause your reaction. Drunken tomfoolery, grand inappropriateness?? Startling stupidity?? The Globe and Mail coverage gave me no inkling either.

I also watched the pre-game show, that is, the interview show before the broadcast.

Colin McAdam was self-deprecating and intelligent. Linden McIntyre was candid and engaging. Annabel Lyon sparkled with intelligence, and made a joke about how her novel would have sold if she put in vampires. Kim Echlin was sincere and, well, just plain nice.

Then there was this other person who talked about herself a lot.

Oh dear my west coast rep - it is not reflective of all of us here.

LOL!! Thanks for that Andrew. Shannon, I believe that leaves one Toronto author. The beautiful west coast is safe and well...Toronto is Toronto, still. (She says with hunched shoulders and a defeated look, having spent a good chunk of her life there and now living only an hour away from it. Please don't think less of me.)

I was really hoping it wasn't Colin McAdam, for no other reasons than he seems so damn funny and smart.I didn't want my image of him shattered.

I may be mistaken as I have not double checked I just remember seeing an interview with Anne Michaels on the news in Vancouver and based on what she was saying I assumed she was from there. That should teach me to double check and not just assume. LOL well you can have her. ;)

Hey Shannon...no she definitely lives in Toronto. LOL!

so now that it's over for another year - i was wondering what people thought about the selection proces in general. a couple of critics stated that 'The Year After The Flood' should have been on the short list, and suggested it had been excluded, based not on merit, but for fear the Giller Prize would become elitist. the Atwood / Munroe Prize. so i wonder what you lovers of Canadian authors think. should selection be based on merit alone - and if someone like Atwood wins every other year, so be it ... or ... if order to recognize new talent and deepen the diversity of Canadian Lit, should selection be based on more than just merit?