The Scotiabank Giller Prize announced their 2013 shortlist today and it contains some surprises. The announcement was made at Soho House in Toronto, hosted by CBC's Jian Ghomeshi. Prize founder Jack Rabinovitch (who founded the prize as a tribute to his late wife, Doris Giller, a prominent journalist and editor) was in attendance.
Heavily-favoured past winner Joseph Boyden is absent from the shortlist, as is American-based powerhouse Claire Messud. The list is a joy to CanLit lovers though, with fan favourites Lisa Moore (previously nominated for her short story collection Open) and Craig Davidson making it into the final five, as well as Dan Vyleta, Dennis Bock and the lone representative of short fiction on the shortlist, Lynn Coady, for the story collection Hellgoing.
The representation amongst publishers is quite split, with Toronto independent House of Anansi scooping two nominations, HarperCollins Canada taking another two, and Random House imprint Doubleday Canada securing the last spot. The only small press represented on the longlist, Invisible Publishing (nominated for How to Get Along With Women by Elisabeth di Mariaffi), was absent from the shortlist.
There's also some geographic spread, something that is always of interest to the literary community, with Edmonton's Coady and St. John's Moore making in on. Vyleta is based in Wisconsin, while both Bock and Davidson live in Toronto.
Notably absent from the shortlist is Toronto's David Gilmour, who was recently embroiled in an online controversy about comments he made to a reporter regarding his choice not to teach female writers in his capacity as an instructor at the University of Toronto. The shortlist, however, was confirmed prior to the viral dispute.
The jurors for the 2013 prize are Margaret Atwood, American novelist Jonathan Lethem and past winner Esi Edugyan.
So get your betting pools ready to go for the November 5, 2013 announcement and tune into CBC television for the live broadcast!
The full 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize Shortlist:
Dennis Bock for Going Home Again (HarperCollins Canada)
Lynn Coady for Hellgoing (House of Anansi)
Craig Davidson for Cataract City (Doubleday Canada)
Lisa Moore for Caught (House of Anansi)
Dan Vyleta for The Crooked Maid (HarperCollins Canada)
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