Will Ferguson Wins 2012 Giller

Though until now he has perhaps been best known for his debut work, 1997’s Why I Hate Canadians, Will Ferguson has been given the nod for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s richest literary award.

Ferguson wins for his novel, the thriller 419 (Viking Canada/Penguin Canada). The announcement was made at a nationally televised dinner and awards ceremony hosted by CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi and attended by more than 500 members of the publishing, media and arts communities.

Ferguson takes home the $50,000 prize, with the remaining four finalists receiving $5,000 each.

Those finalists were:

Alix Ohlin for her novel Inside, published by House of Anansi Press
Nancy Richler for her novel The Imposter Bride, published by HarperCollins Publishers
Kim Thúy for her novel Ru, translated by Sheila Fischman, published by Random House Canada
Russell Wangersky for his short story collection Whirl Away, published by Thomas Allen Publishers