Trying Desperately to Hold My Tongue

Posted 9 October, 2007 in Book News |

M. G. Vassanji is now poised to be the first person in the fourteen-year history of the Scotiabank Giller Prize to win the award three times.

It is by no means a certainty, however the appearance of his novel, The Assassin’s Song, on the prize shortlist, announced this morning at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, brings him one step closer to that milestone.

Vassanji faces some high profile competition. Also on the shortlist are Elizabeth Hay, for her novel Late Nights on Air, Michael Ondaatje, for Divisadero, and Alissa York, for Effigy. The fifth place, traditionally the dark horse spot, went to A Secret Between Us, by Daniel Poliquin, with a translation by Donald Winkler.

Clearly eschewing last year’s template, which favoured short stories, works in translation, and books published by smaller presses, the 2007 jury, composed of novelists David Bergen and Camilla Gibb, and poet and artist Lorna Goodison, have settled on books by big names, published by major houses. York’s novel is published by Random House, Hay and Ondaatje are published by McClelland & Stewart (which is effectively the same thing),* and Vassanji is published by Doubleday, which published last year’s winner, Vincent Lam. The odd men out here are Poliquin and Winkler, whose novel in translation is published by Vancouver-based Douglas & McIntyre.

The biggest disappointment of the year must be for HarperCollins, which had no fewer than five titles on the longlist, not a single one of which made the final cut.

At the press conference, prize founder Jack Rabinovitch praised the jurors, who read 108 books from forty-six different publishers in order to determine the five finalists.

Rabinovitch went on to mention the longlist, now in its second year, calling it “a wonderful way of letting people know that there are more than just the five shortlisted authors … that there is a tremendous depth of talent in this country that has not only been nationally recognized but internationally recognized.”

John Doig, vice president for marketing at Scotiabank, referred to “the rich culture and heritage that defines our great country,” and asserted that “we are full of pride when we see the Scotiabank Giller Prize come to the attention of media and cultural communities, helping raise awareness of great Canadian authors here and abroad.”

Suzanne Boyce, president of creative content for CTV, the network that will broadcast the awards ceremony live on November 6, said in her comments that “there is nothing more delicious than to pick up a book by an author one does not know and just to go into that world.” (Which seems like an odd thing to say, given the preponderance of names such as Ondaatje and Vassanji on this year’s shortlist, but nevermind.)*

Rabinovitch went on to mention a conversation he had at Word on the Street in Toronto with last year’s winner, Vincent Lam, who had just returned from a publicity trip to the States, where he said that people were “envious” of Canada’s Giller Prize and the focus it brings to the literary community. “Traditionally Canadians have looked south,” Rabinovitch said, but when it came to “that televised show on literature in Canada,” Lam was surprised to be told that “what we’re doing here, they haven’t done there.” (Which strikes me as yet another instance of a kind of insidious parochialism on the part of Canadians — particularly those of us who work in the arts — who seem to assume that our culture has little value unless we’re able to make Americans take notice. But, again, nevermind.)*

So, let the horse-race begin. There is sure to be much chatter, conspiracy-theorizing, cavilling, and grandstanding in the days ahead, so stay tuned. This year, your humble correspondent will take it upon himself to read the five shortlisted titles and provide some chatter (and probably no small amount of grandstanding) of his own.

*I tried, okay, I really, really tried.

6 comments to “Trying Desperately to Hold My Tongue”

Kerry, October 9th, 2007 at 2:04 pm:

• I’m looking forward to your thoughts on these books.

  And Lorna Goodison is a poet actually– a very good one– and recently a memoirist too.

B, October 9th, 2007 at 2:12 pm:

• Thanks for this, Steve. Glad that you didn’t hold back. I fear that all the vitriol I have to spew will be as predictable and boring as this shortlist.

  But again, as with the longlist, the timing of the announcement is bad, bad, bad. This un-news will be buried by election coverage in Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario, Alberta. Oh and you can’t forget the by-election in PEI and the Green Party leadership election in BC.

Steven W. Beattie, October 9th, 2007 at 2:13 pm:

• Goodison is described on the Scotiabank Giller site as a poet & an artist; I suppose given her connection with this particular award it is more appropriate to highlight her literary accomplishments.

Sarah, October 9th, 2007 at 2:49 pm:

• Kind of a boring list this year, no? Vassanji nominations for the Giller are becoming like McEwan’s for the Booker - predictable and somewhat inexplicable. And before you even try it, Divisadero is not an accepted Scrabulous word.

jpz, October 9th, 2007 at 4:24 pm:

• Yes, you can always count on Suzanne Boyce to make the most inane comment of the day. This is the person who constantly warbles and pats herself on the back for all of CTV’s incredible homegrown . . . um . . . creative content (i.e., Cdn Idle, Eschmaltz Daily, Corner Crass).

  Hopefully, the winning title will help us to explore our vast and scotiatastic geographies while keeping one eye fixed stateside.

sashi, October 10th, 2007 at 2:02 pm:

• Why are you all forgetting David Davidar from Toronto?
  I just finished his latest and I can tell you it is among the best from this year.
  A new voice that speaks about right-wing Hindu fundmentalism or maybe that is too much for us priggish Canadians?
  Sashi.

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