Giller Prize Longlist Announced

The longlist for the 2007 Scotiabank Giller Awards was announced yesterday. This narrows the field to 15 from the 108 books submitted for consideration. The Scotiabank Giller was named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller. It was founded in 1994 by her husband, Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch, and is Canada’s richest literary prize: it awards $40,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $2,500 to each of the finalists.

The shortlist for this year’s Giller Prize will be announced on October 9th with the winner to be awarded in a televised black-tie ceremony on November 6th.

The 2007 Scotiabank Giller longlist is:

• Soucouyant, by David Chariandy (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Zero Gravity, by Sharon English (The Porcupine’s Quill)
• Helpless, by Barbara Gowdy (HarperCollins Canada)
• Late Nights on Air, by Elizabeth Hay (McClelland & Stewart)
• The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill (HarperCollins Canada)
• Stormy Weather, by Paulette Jiles (HarperCollins Canada)
• Lauchlin of the Bad Heart, by D.R. MacDonald (HarperCollins Canada)
• The Reckoning of Boston Jim, by Claire Mulligan (Brindle & Glass)
• Conceit, by Mary Novik (Doubleday Canada)
• Divisadero, by Michael Ondaatje (McClelland & Stewart)
• A Secret Between Us, by Daniel Poliquin, translated by Donald Winkler (Douglas & McIntyre)
• The Assassin’s Song, by M.G. Vassanji (Doubleday Canada)
• The Architects Are Here, by Michael Winter (Penguin Books Canada)
• October, by Richard Wright (HarperCollins Canada)
• Effigy, by Alissa York (Random House Canada)