The Canada Council for the Arts has just released the finalists for the 2018 Governor GeneralB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literary Awards.
Two local authors are among the finalists: Eva Campbell from Victoria for Africville and Darrel J. McLeod from Sooke for Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age.
The awards recognize CanadaB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s best English and French books in seven categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature (Text), Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature (Illustrated Books), and Translation.
How many have you read?
The 14 winning books will be announced on Oct. 30.
English-language finalists (seven categories)
Fiction:
- Beirut Hellfire Society B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Rawi Hage (Montréal, Quebec) - Knopf Canada/Penguin Random House Canada
- Jonny Appleseed B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Joshua Whitehead (Calgary, Alberta) - Arsenal Pulp Press
- The Red Word B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Sarah Henstra (Toronto, Ontario) - ECW Press
- Women Talking B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Miriam Toews (Toronto, Ontario) - Knopf Canada/Penguin Random House Canada
- Zolitude B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Paige Cooper (Montréal, Quebec) - Biblioasis
Poetry:
- Because: A Lyric Memoir B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Joshua Mensch (Prague, Czech Republic) - W.W. Norton & Company
- Night Became Years B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jason Stefanik (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - Coach House Books
- The Blue Clerk B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Dionne Brand (Toronto, Ontario) - McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada
- This Wound is a World B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Billy-Ray Belcourt (Edmonton, Alberta) - Frontenac House
- Wayside Sang B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Cecily Nicholson (Burnaby, British Columbia) - Talonbooks
Drama:
- Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jordan Tannahill (London, United Kingdom) - Playwrights Canada Press
- Gertrude and Alice B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Anna Chatterton and Evalyn Parry with Karin Randoja (Hamilton, Ontario, Toronto, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario) - Playwrights Canada Press
- Paradise Lost B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Erin Shields (Montréal, Quebec) - Playwrights Canada Press
- The Men in White B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Anosh Irani (North Vancouver, British Columbia) - House of Anansi Press
- This Is How We Got Here B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Keith Barker (Toronto, Ontario) - Playwrights Canada Press
Non-fiction:
- Dead Reckoning: How I Came to Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Carys Cragg (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) - Arsenal Pulp Press
- Heart Berries - Terese Marie Mailhot (Evansville, Indiana) - Doubleday Canada/Penguin Random House Canada
- Homes: A Refugee Story B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung (Edmonton, Alberta) - Freehand Books
- Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Darrel J. McLeod (Sooke, British Columbia) - Douglas & McIntyre
- The WifeB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Tale: A Personal History B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Aida Edemariam (Oxford, United Kingdom) - Knopf Canada
Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Text:
- Ebb & Flow B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Heather Smith (Waterloo, Ontario) - Kids Can Press
- Learning to Breathe B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Janice Lynn Mather (Delta, British Columbia) - Simon & Schuster
- Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jonathan Auxier (Swissvale, Pennsylvania) - Puffin Canada/Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers
- The Journey of Little Charlie B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Christopher Paul Curtis (Windsor, Ontario) - Scholastic Canada
- WinnieB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Great War B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Lindsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut (Toronto, Ontario) - HarperCollins Publishers
Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Illustrated Books:
- Africville B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Shauntay Grant and Eva Campbell (Halifax, Nova Scotia/Victoria, British Columbia) - Groundwood Books
- At the Pond B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Werner Zimmermann (Guelph, Ontario) - North Winds Press, an imprint of Scholastic Canada
- Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Wab Kinew and Joe Morse (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Toronto, Ontario) - Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada
- Ocean Meets Sky B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ The Fan Brothers (Toronto, Ontario) - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- They Say Blue B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jillian Tamaki (Toronto, Ontario) - Groundwood Book
Translation (from French to English):
- Descent into Night B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott (Montréal, Quebec) - Mawenzi House Publishers; translation of Explication de la nuit by Edem Awumey, Les Éditions du Boréal
- Explosions : Michael Bay and the Pyrotechnics of the Imagination B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Aleshia Jensen (Montréal, Quebec) - QC Fiction, an imprint of Baraka Books; translation of Des explosions by Mathieu Poulin, Les Éditions de Ta Mère
- Jacob Isaac Segal: A Montreal Yiddish Poet and His Milieu B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Vivian Felsen (Toronto, Ontario) - University of Ottawa Press; translation of Jacob-Isaac Segal (1896-1954) : un poète yiddish de Montréal et son milieu by Pierre Anctil, Les Presses de lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™Université Laval
- Little Beast B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Rhonda Mullins (Montréal, Quebec) - Coach House Books; translation of Barbe by Julie Demers, Héliotrope
- Songs for the Cold of Heart B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Peter McCambridge (Cap-Rouge, Quebec) - QC Fiction, an imprint of Baraka Books; translation of La fiancée américaine by Eric Dupont, Marchand de feuilles
French-language finalists (seven categories)
Fiction:
- De synthèse B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Karoline Georges (Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec) - Éditions Alto
- La bête creuse B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Christophe Bernard (Burlington, Vermont) - Le Quartanier
- Les noyades secondaires B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Maxime Raymond Bock (Montréal, Quebec) - Le Cheval dB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™août
- Manikanetish B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Naomi Fontaine (Québec, Quebec) - Mémoire dB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™encrier
- noms fictifs B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Olivier Sylvestre (Montréal, Quebec) - Hamac, a division of Les éditions du Septentrion
Poetry:
- Cruauté du jeu B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ France Théoret (Montréal, Quebec) - Écrits des Forges
- La dévoration des fées B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Catherine Lalonde (Montréal, Quebec) - Le Quartanier
- La raison des fleurs B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Michaël Trahan (Montréal, Quebec) - Le Quartanier
- Le revers B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Roxane Desjardins (Montréal, Quebec) - Les Herbes rouges
- Ne faites pas honte à votre siècle B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Daria Colonna (Montréal, Quebec) - Poètes de brousse
Drama:
- Enfant insignifiant! B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Michel Tremblay (Montréal, Quebec) - Leméac Éditeur
- Invisibles B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Guillaume Lapierre-Desnoyers (Montréal, Quebec) - LB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™instant même
- JB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™aime Hydro B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Christine Beaulieu (Montréal, Quebec) - Atelier 10
- Os : la montagne blanche B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Steve Gagnon (Montréal, Quebec) - LB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™instant même
- Venir au monde B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Anne-Marie Olivier (Québec, Quebec) - Atelier 10
Non-fiction:
- Avant lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™après : voyages à Cuba avec George Orwell B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Frédérick Lavoie (Montréal, Quebec) - La Peuplade
- Histoire des Juifs du Québec B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Pierre Anctil (Montréal, Quebec) - Les Éditions du Boréal
- Le piège de la liberté : les peuples autochtones dans lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™engrenage des régimes coloniaux B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Denys Delâge and Jean-Philippe Warren (St-Antoine-de-Tilly, Quebec/Verdun, Quebec) - Les Éditions du Boréal
- Les chants du mime : en compagnie dB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™Ã‰tienne Decroux B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Gabrielle Giasson-Dulude (Montréal, Quebec) - Éditions du Noroît
- Mégantic : une tragédie annoncée B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny (Val-David, Quebec) - Les Éditions Écosociété
Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Text:
- 13 000 ans et des poussières B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Camille Bouchard (Fortierville, Quebec) - Soulières éditeur
- Ferdinand F., 81 ans, chenille B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Mario Brassard (Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Quebec) - Soulières éditeur
- Les Marées B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Brigitte Vaillancourt (Eastman, Quebec) - Les Éditions du Boréal
- Maman veut partir B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jonathan Bécotte (Montréal, Quebec) - Leméac Éditeur
- Un dernier songe avant le grand sommeil B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jocelyn Boisvert (Havre-aux-Maisons, Quebec) - Soulières éditeur
Young PeopleB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Literature B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Illustrated Books:
- Jules et Jim : frères dB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™armes B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Jacques Goldstyn (Mont-Royal, Quebec) - Bayard Canada
- Le chemin de la montagne B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Marianne Dubuc (Montréal, Quebec) - Comme des géants
- Les mots dB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™Eunice B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Gabriella Gendreau and Nahid Kazemi (Montréal, Quebec) - Éditions de lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™Isatis
- Lili Macaroni : je suis comme je suis! B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Nicole Testa and Annie Boulanger (Rimouski, Quebec/Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) - Dominique et compagnie
- Une histoire de cancer qui finit bien B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Marianne Ferrer and India Desjardins (Lasalle, Quebec/Montréal, Quebec) - Les Éditions de la Pastèque
Translation (from English to French):
- De lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™utilité de lB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™ennui : textes de balle B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Daniel Grenier and William S. Messier (Québec, Quebec/Sherbrooke, Quebec) - Les Éditions de Ta Mère; translation of The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays by Andrew Forbes, Invisible Publishing
- Le Monde selon Barney B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné (Montréal, Quebec) - Les Éditions du Boréal; translation of BarneyB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Version by Mordecai Richler, Knopf Canada
- Le saint patron des merveilles B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Catherine Leroux (Montréal, Quebec) - Éditions Alto; translation of FabrizioB´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·™s Return by Mark Frutkin, Vintage Canada
- Naissances B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Laurence Gough (Montréal, Quebec) - Marchand de feuilles; translation of How You Were Born by Kate Cayley, Pedlar Press
- Sweetland B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ Translated by Éric Fontaine (Montréal, Quebec) - Leméac Éditeur; translation of Sweetland by Michael Crummey, Doubleday Canada
keri.coles@oakbaynews.com
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