Winners
Fiction
Dianne Warren, Regina, Cool Water(Phyllis Bruce Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)
The place is a small Saskatchewan town, the time spans barely more than a day. In this exquisitely constructed novel, Dianne Warren makes each moment shine; her narrative flows seamlessly from character to character, all stunningly depicted. The implied silences of her elegant minimalism amplify the lush prose. Cool Water immerses readers in the difficulties and joys of everyday life.
Kim Thúy, Longueuil (Quebec), Ru(Éditions Libre Expression, Groupe Librex; distributed by Messageries ADP)
This is an exemplary autobiographical novel. Never is there the slightest hint of narcissism or self‑pity. The major events in the fall of Vietnam are painted in delicate strokes, through the daily existence of a woman who has to reinvent herself elsewhere. A tragic journey described in a keen, sensitive and perfectly understated voice.
Poetry
Richard Greene, Cobourg (Ontario), Boxing the Compass(Signal Editions, an imprint of Véhicule Press; distributed by LitDistCo)
Richard Greene’s Boxing the Compass leaves us feeling unmoored, adrift across time and voice. The matchless long poem at its heart pulls us back to our always-moving selves, on an always-moving earth. We follow him in his offbeat but strangely familiar travels.
Danielle Fournier, Montreal, effleurés de lumière(L’Hexagone, Groupe Ville-Marie Littérature; distributed by Messageries ADP)
In an age when narration is increasingly present in poetry and the novel has appropriated every form and subject, Danielle Fournier succeeds, with extreme subtlety, in bestowing the most demanding narrative form upon poetry in effleurés de lumière. Her delicate writing is shaped by fragments of sheer joy.
Drama
Robert Chafe, St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador), Afterimage(Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)
Afterimage is the remarkable story of Lise Lacoeur and her struggle with a gift for seeing into the future. Haunting and heart-breaking, moving and magical, this beautifully-written play digs deep into our universal desire to connect with those around us, and with our own personal vision.
David Paquet, Montreal, Porc-épic(Dramaturges Éditeurs; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
Lightly, yet without losing any of its depth, Porc-épic describes an absurd universe where vulnerable people feel a burning desire to be guided by their intuition. They all aspire to change their lives. With his tragic characters playing out their roles in a surreal world, David Paquet has created a darkly comic and profoundly touching work.
Non-fiction
Allan Casey, Saskatoon, Lakeland: Journeys into the Soul of Canada(Greystone Books, an imprint of D&M Publishers / David Suzuki Foundation; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)
This book takes readers on an enchanting and enlightening journey across Canada, exploring a quintessential element of the Canadian landscape and its very soul – lakeland. With his gentle, exquisite and sometimes playful prose, Allan Casey conveys a powerful message about the value of Canada’s lakes, introduces us to the people who cherish them, and offers both a celebration of and lament for these precious and oft-abused natural treasures.
Michel Lavoie, Saint-Raphaël (Quebec), C’est ma seigneurie que je réclame : la lutte des Hurons de Lorette pour la seigneurie de Sillery, 1650-1900(Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)
Supported by an enormous amount of archival research, this historical work by Michel Lavoie retraces the claims of the Huron of Sillery for the restitution of the only concession ever granted to a group of Aboriginal people, in 1651. The consequences of their failure to win this restitution – from the trusteeship of the Jesuits to their petition before the courts in the 19th century – shape the colonial history of Canada in a fascinating way.
Children’s Literature – Text
Wendy Phillips, Richmond (British Columbia), Fishtailing(Coteau Books; distributed by Publishers Group of Canada)
In this highly-inventive, poetic narrative, four compelling characters take the reader on a wild ride through the dangerous terrain of friendships threatened by manipulative acts. Deftly switching voices,
Wendy Phillips creates a powerful momentum in Fishtailing that leaves the reader breathless.
Wendy Phillips creates a powerful momentum in Fishtailing that leaves the reader breathless.
Élise Turcotte, Montreal, Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie(Les éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)
Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie is a book that contradicts everything we thought we knew about young people’s literature, and renews the genre. Élise Turcotte’s style is polyphonic, rich, sensitive and intelligent. This album-poem, poem-story, story-testimonial reveals the pain of a disordered mind, and is told with enormous restraint and an honesty that is almost violent.
Children’s Literature – Illustration
Jon Klassen, Los Angeles [originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario],Cats’ Night Out, text by Caroline Stutson
(Simon & Schuster / A Paula Wiseman Book; distributed by Simon & Schuster Canada)
(Simon & Schuster / A Paula Wiseman Book; distributed by Simon & Schuster Canada)
In Cat’s Night Out, Jon Klassen’s highly imaginative and clever illustrations, with their subdued, delicate colours and their minimal movement, mysteriously transform a smoky New York night into a grooving and pulsating background for his cool dancing cats.
Daniel Sylvestre, Montreal, Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie,
text by Élise Turcotte
(Les éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)
text by Élise Turcotte
(Les éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)
Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie reveals a chaotic, complex and terrifying graphic universe. By mixing styles and techniques,
Daniel Sylvestre plunges us into the very heart of the main character’s tormented world. Each element of this book comes together to eloquently create a demanding and masterly work, in which Rose’s madness is filled with meaning.
Daniel Sylvestre plunges us into the very heart of the main character’s tormented world. Each element of this book comes together to eloquently create a demanding and masterly work, in which Rose’s madness is filled with meaning.
Translation
Linda Gaboriau, Montreal, Forests(Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)
English translation of Forêts by Wajdi Mouawad (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud)
English translation of Forêts by Wajdi Mouawad (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud)
If a translation can allow us access to the sublime, Linda Gaboriau has done so with her brilliant translation of Wajdi Mouawad’s Forests. The full force and urgency of Mouawad’s emotionally‑charged world shines through her luminous translation. A triumph of language that speaks straight to the heart and soul.
Sophie Voillot, Montreal, Le cafard(Éditions Alto; distributed by Socadis)
French translation of Cockroach by Rawi Hage (House of Anansi Press)
French translation of Cockroach by Rawi Hage (House of Anansi Press)
Sophie Voillot has a keen sense of the author’s intentions, and succeeds in reproducing the dark, oppressive tone of the novel. She adopts a style in which irony is touched with violence, and seriousness is modulated by levity. Her sensitive translation honours this complex, multiform novel that juggles a chronicle of urban life with fantastic flights of fancy, and traces the portrait of a pitiless era and the unique characters that inhabit it.
Further information can be found at the Canada Council website.
