The Canada Council for the Arts announced Tuesday morning the finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, which will be awarded next month.
Five titles were selected in the Novels and Short Stories category: Raw milkby Steve Poutré (Viola), big peopleby Mathieu Rolland (Boréal), The version that interests no oneby Emmanuelle Pierrot (Le Quartanier), The account is goodby Louis-Daniel Godin (La Peuplade), as well as Muteby Pascale Beauregard (Boréal).
In the Essays category, the finalists are Offside: Cultural and feminist chronicle on the professional sports industryby Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau (Editions du stir-ménage), Satin blackby Stanley Péan (Boréal), Daring ethical humor: From Socrates to Virginie Fortinby Jérôme Cotte (Somme tout), File a complaintby Léa Clermont-Dion (The August Horse), and One bee is enough: Observation notebook of an urban gardenby Geneviève Boudreau (Le Noroît).
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Léa Clermont-Dion
In poetry, these are collections Sun without hoursby Olivier Leroux-Picard (Bush Poets), degenerate poemfrom nevé dumas (The Goose of Cravan), The knives in my throat are not seafoodby Annie Landreville (Bush Poets), Looking crazyby Jonas Fortier (The Goose of Cravan), and Letters to the white skyby Emmanuel Simard (Bush Poets).
Among the finalists in the Theater category are also Scissorsby Geneviève Labelle and Mélodie Noël Rousseau (Éditions du stir-ménage), The last tape: A portrait of André Brassardby Olivier Choinière (Atelier 10), Wollstonecraftby Sarah Berthiaume (Your Mother), platypusesby Johanne Parent (Perce-Neige), and Pinkby Isabelle Hubert (The very moment).
In children’s literature, five titles have carved out a place in the Text category: Checked Kidby Marc-André Dufour-Labbé (Leméac), Moving to Heavenby Jean-Guy Forget and Mélodie Bujold-Henri (the short scale), A bubble outside of timeby Stéfani Meunier (Leméac), Fly away, Mikunby Moira-Uashteskun Bacon (Hannenorak), and The four truthsby Dominique Chicoine (Boréal).
As for illustrated books, the selection includes Fantastic (and maybe true) storiesby Caroline Merola (the short scale), Stormy dayby Marianne Ferrer (Monsieur Ed), Alphaeus’ threadby Marie-Andrée Arsenault and Dominique Leroux (Green Cod), The first Christmas treeby Ovila Fontaine and Charlotte Parent (La Pastèque), and Margot wants a mustacheby Iris Boudreau and Richard Écrapou (La Bagnole).
And finally, in the English to French Translation category, the following titles stood out: Restigouche: The long course of the wild riverby Philip Lee, translated by Éric Fontaine (Boréal); Charlie Muskratby Harold Johnson, translated by Daniel Grenier (Hannenorak); Run towards dangerby Sarah Polley, translated by Madeleine Stratford (Boréal); The Messenger, by Thomas Wharton, translated by Sophie Voillot (Alto), Dying for the cause: revolution in Quebec in the 1960sby Chris Oliveros, translated by Alexandre Fontaine Rousseau (Pow Pow).
In all, 70 books published across the country over the past year, in French and English, were selected by peer review committees formed by the Arts Council.
The winners of the seven categories will be announced on November 13.
Visit the Governor General’s Literary Awards website