Canada's Giller Prize reveals nominees

(The Scotiabank Giller Prize)

On September 20, the longlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's most prestigious literary award, was announced, with high-profile writers Douglas Coupland, Tom Rachman, Jane Urquhart, and David Bergen in the running for the CA$50,000 (€37,000) prize.

This year's jury, which includes journalist Michael Enright, author Claire Messud, and writer Ali Smith,
selected 13 books from 98 submitted by 38 Canadian publishers. Now in its 17th year, the Giller Prize celebrates the best Canadian novels and short-story collections published in English, including translations.

This year's longlist nominees for the Scotiabank Giller Prize:

David Bergen for The Matter with Morris (Phyllis Bruce Books/HarperCollins)
Douglas Coupland for Player One (House of Anansi Press)
Michael Helm for Cities of Refuge (McClelland & Stewart)
Alexander MacLeod for his short story collection Light Lifting (Biblioasis)
Avner Mandelman for The Debba (Other Press/Random House of Canada)
Tom Rachman for The Imperfectionists (Dial/Random House of Canada)
Sarah Selecky for her short story collection This Cake Is for the Party (Thomas Allen Publishers)
Johanna Skibsrud for The Sentimentalists (Gaspereau Press)
Cordelia Strube for Lemon (Coach House Books)
Joan Thomas for Curiosity (McClelland & Stewart)
Jane Urquhart for Sanctuary Line (McClelland & Stewart)
Dianne Warren for Cool Water (Phyllis Bruce Books/HarperCollins)
Kathleen Winter for Annabel (House of Anansi Press)

David Bergen, the only former Giller Prize winner on the longlist, won the prize in 2005 for The Time In Between; he was longlisted in 2008 for The Retreat. The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday, October 5. On November 9, the prize will be awarded at a gala ceremony.

Last year's winner was Linden MacIntyre for The Bishop's Man. Previous winners include Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, and Alice Munro.

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