It is Scotabank Giller Prize time again. A dozen on the new longlist

Canada's most prestigous fiction prizes now has a 12-book longlist.

Dionne Irving

Wednesday morning, the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist was announced. This year’s 12-book list is an exceptional compilation of books from an extraordinary range of writers, celebrating not only the strength and diversity of writing in Canada but also marking the 30th anniversary of the Prize.

The longlist was announced this morning at The Rooms in St. John’s, Newfoundland, by the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Suzette Mayr (Sleeping Car Porter). Of note among the dozen books on the list is Dionne Irving’s short story collection, "The Islands: Stories." The Toronto-born author and educator, now living in the US, has penned powerful stories that explore the legacy of colonialism, and issues of race, immigration, sexual discrimination, and class in the lives of Jamaican women across London, Panama, France, Jamaica, Florida, and more.
Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation in this debut, establishing a new and unforgettable voice in Caribbean-American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, these characters try to ground themselves—to grow where they find themselves planted—in a world in which the tension between what’s said and unsaid can bend the soul.
While the 12 books on the 2023 longlist are diverse, disparate, and brilliant, they commonly display the innovative, striking, and resoundingly beautiful arc that represents Canadian fiction in 2023. This year’s longlist includes: • David Bergen for his novel "Away From the Dead," published by Goose Lane Editions • Sarah Bernstein for her novel "Study For Obedience," published by Knopf Canada • Eleanor Catton for her novel "Birnam Wood," published by McClelland & Stewart • Kevin Chong for his novel "The Double Life of Benson Yu," published by Simon & Schuster • Nina Dunic for her novel "The Clarion," published by Invisible Publishing • Erum Shazia Hasan for her novel "We Meant Well," published by ECW Press • Dionne Irving for her short story collection, "The Islands: Stories," published by Catapult Press • Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer for her novel "Wait Softly Brother," published by Wolak & Wynn • Menaka Raman-Wilms for her novel "The Rooftop Garden," published by Nightwood Editions • CS Richardson for his novel "All The Colour in the World," published by Knopf Canada • Kasia Van Schaik for her short story collection "We Have Never Lived on Earth," published by The University of Alberta Press • Deborah Willis for her novel "Girlfriend on Mars," published by Hamish Hamilton The Prize will be announced on November 13th.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sublimnos - Muse for James Cameron

Image
. . Sublimnos No Longer Out Of Sight … And Definitely Not Out of Mind By Stephen Weir It will take a long long time for a piece of Canadian dive history to rust into dust. Given the hard feelings surrounding the historic Sublimnos Project, the deteriorating, remains of that underwater habitat could well be an above-water Lake Ontario eyesore for years until rust indeed becomes dust. Back in the summer of 1969 Sublimnos was set down in the waters of Georgian Bay near Tobermory, Ontario the self-described "fresh water scuba diving capital of the world" .It was a bargain basement underwater research station. Constructed from a railroad tanker for just $10,000.00, Sublimnos became Canada’s first subsurface research laboratory. From 1969 to 1971 the Sublimnos project, funded and spearhead by physician, author, explorer and frequent Diver Magazine contributor Dr. Joe McInnis, was headline news around the world. Built to accommodate up to four divers at a time, in its first two-ye...
Read more

America Wild. The name of a movie, a metaphor for the star!

Image
. Recent Huffington Post Film Story by Stephen Weir   http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/../../stephen-weir/america-wild-interview_b_11397002.html Rachel Pohl - photo by George Socka “ I don’t work out.   I don’t diet.   I don’t prepare before climbing,” confessed 23-year old mountain climber Rachel Pohl.   “ Why can I (climb up a near vertical rock face) do it?   Thank my mother and father for their DNA!” The modest adventurer is starring in   "America Wild: National Parks Adventure".   She doesn’t simply climb mountains, she preternatural ly finds pinkie sized breaks in sheer rock faces. One foot on one side of a stone crevice, the other on a different rock face altogether. And between her legs? The great abyss.   publicity still - Devil's Tower America Wild, a new Imax movie narrated by Robert Redford, recently had its Canadian premiere in Toronto.   It has begun showing at museums, galleries and Science Centres all acro...
Read more

SCUBA DIVING INSPIRES UNDERWATER TATTOOS (AND TOE NAIL POLISH)

Image
 . Chasing Ink With Camera! One Day On A Little Cayman Dive Boat The compass has a dive flag. Celtic ink with 3 waves for the dive world Stripping down in Little Cayman's only food store Little Cayman Island, population 200, attracts only two types of visitors.  Ornithologists. Experienced Scuba Divers. Ornithologists because of the birds. The largest colony of Red Footed Boobies in the Caribbean is found on Little Cayman's Booby Pond. Scuba Divers go there because of the sheer wall of coral found in the island's underwater preserve, just north of the island. My wife and I returned from Little Cayman Island on Sunday.  We weren't there for the birds. Flamingo is the logo for dive haven Bonaire. We spent most of our week on a couple of dive boats. One large scuba boat was operated by Reef Divers out of the Little Cayman Resort.  The other, a small Boston Whaler operated by three divers, was out on the reef hunting the invasive lionfish...
Read more