Non-fiction fans have a great new recommended reading list today with the announcement of the shortlist for the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize. The prize, which rewards the finest non-fiction writing in Canada, consists of a $25,000 prize purse for the winner and $2,000 the remaining finalists. 2015 will mark the 14th iteration of the award, which was founded by Noreen Taylor in honour of her late husband, Charles Taylor.
It's a happy day for Penguin Random House Canada, the recently-merged publishing house which captured four of the five shortlist spots. The five book shortlist is rounded out by multi-genre author Kathleen Winter's Boundless, published by Canadian press House of Anansi. Winter is no stranger to prize lists, having been nominated for myriad prizes for her acclaimed novel Annabel in 2010. Another prize list veteran, M.G. Vassanji, is featured on the RBC Taylor list for And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa. Interestingly, four of the five nominated books are memoirs, with David O'Keefe's historical non-fiction One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe as the fifth title.
Jurors Ms. Kevin Garland, Martin Levin and Andrew Preston, named five authors this morning at a news conference in Toronto.
The Finalists for the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize:
They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson (Penguin Canada)
One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe by David O'Keefe (Random House Canada)
The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in our Times by Barbara Taylor (Hamish Hamilton Canada)
And Home Was Kariakoo: A Memoir of East Africa by M. G. Vassanji (Doubleday Canada)
Boundless by Kathleen Winter (House of Anansi Press)
“These five books represent not only the finest non-fiction written in Canada today but also represent the topics that Canadians find interesting,” said Prize founder Noreen Taylor. "Taken collectively, they present a fascinating glimpse of the lens we look through when we view ourselves, our history, and the world beyond our borders.”
Vijay Parmar, President, RBC PH&N Investment Counsel announced that all five authors will take part in a free Round Table discussion at the Toronto Reference Library on Thursday, February 26th at 7:00 pm. They will also appear on stage at the Globe and Mail/Ben McNally Authors’ Brunch on Sunday, March 1st at the Omni King Edward Hotel. (For tickets, please visit http://www.benmcnallybooks.com)
The winner of this year's prize will be announced on Monday, March 2nd.
In a unique addition to the prize, the Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also grant the second annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Award. This new initiative allows the winner of the RBC Taylor Prize to select an emerging author to honour for his or her work.
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