Oct 05, 2010

05-Oct-2010

Toronto, ON – Today, in a morning press conference that drew over 100 media and members of the publishing industry, the Scotiabank Giller Prize announced its 2010 shortlist. The five finalists were selected by an esteemed jury panel made up of Canadian broadcaster and journalist Michael Enright, American writer and professor Claire Messud and award-winning UK author Ali Smith. The shortlist was chosen from 98 books submitted for consideration by 38 publishing houses from every region of the country.

The 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists are:

Sarah Selecky for her short story collection THIS CAKE IS FOR THE PARTY, Thomas Allen Publishers

David Bergen for his novel THE MATTER WITH MORRIS, Phyllis Bruce Books/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Alexander MacLeod for his short story collection LIGHT LIFTING, Biblioasis

Johanna Skibsrud for her novel THE SENTIMENTALISTS, Gaspereau Press

Kathleen Winter for her novel ANNABEL, House of Anansi Press

The winner of this year’s Scotiabank Giller Prize will be announced on November 9th at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel at a gala black tie dinner and award ceremony.

For the seventh year in a row, the Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists will read from their nominated books at IFOA’s Closing Night event on Saturday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $5,000 to each of the finalists. The Scotiabank Giller Prize is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller and was founded in 1994 by her husband Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch.

Jury Citation:
"Dry and funny, exact and exacting, the 10 short stories in This Cake is for the Party elevate economy of expression itself to an art. Story after story in this resonant and quietly apocalyptic collection deliver a sharp analysis of contemporary surreality and the madness of modern homogeneity. Its stories are tender, broken, deceptively unassuming then unexpectedly breathtaking. It holds its delicate oppositions numbness and understanding, smartness and tragedy with discipline and flair, and marks the arrival of a gifted writer."