Lisa Bird-Wilson, Brian Thomas Isaac and Anne Carson are finalists for the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Awards | CBC books

Lisa Bird-Wilson, Brian Thomas Isaac and Anne Carson are among the finalists for the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Awards.

The awards, presented by the Canada Council for the Arts, are presented in seven English language categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult Fiction – Text, Young Adult Fiction – Illustration, Drama and French to English Translation. Seven French-language prizes will also be awarded in the same categories. A total of $450,000 is awarded annually across all awards.

The winner in each category will receive $25,000. The remaining finalists will each receive $1,000.

Books published between August 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022 were eligible for the 2022 awards. Finalists and winners will be selected by a peer judging committee for each category.

The winners will be announced on November 16, 2022.

Bird-Wilson and Isaac are all finalists in the Fiction category.

Bird-Wilson, a Métis and Nêhiyaw author from Saskatchewan, is nominated for her debut novel Probably ruby.

Probably ruby is the story of a girl who is abandoned as an infant, placed in a foster home and eventually adopted by a couple who can’t afford to complain too loudly about Ruby’s indigenous roots.

Isaac, a writer from the Okanagan Indian Reserve, is nominated for his novel All quiet places. All quiet places is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Eddie Toma whose life resembles that of its author in countless ways.

All quiet places is Isaac’s debut novel, which he wrote when he was in his 70s.

Carson is a finalist in the Poetry for H by H Playbook. H by H Playbook is about a Greek tragedy called Heracles by the poet Euripides from the 5th century BC. According to the myth, Heracles, known as a symbol of “male violence”, returns home after years of waging war. Unsurprisingly, he cannot adjust to a peaceful life and kills his entire family. Before killing himself, his friend Theseus intervenes and reminds Heracles that his life has value and potential for redemption.

Carson previously won the 2020 Governor General’s Literature Prize for Poetry for Norma Jeane Baker from Troy.

Carson is one of Canada’s most successful poets. Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Lannan Foundation Fellowship, and a MacArthur “Genius Fellowship”. She recently won the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. In 2001 she won the first Griffin Poetry Prize for her collection Men in the off-hour.

Other notable finalists include science journalist and sometimes CBC host and broadcaster Britt Wray in the nonfiction category for generation fearpast Griffin Poetry Prize finalist David Bradford in the poetry category for his collection Dream of nobody but myselfJulie Morstad in the Illustrated Books category for her picture book time is a flowerand writer and playwright Sheila Heti in the Fiction category for her novel pure colour.

Translator Alishia Jensen received two nominations in the French to English Translations category. She is nominated for her translation of the novel leftovers and her translation of the graphic novel That’s how I disappearwhich she translated with Bronwyn Haslam.

The Governor General’s Literary Awards were established in 1936. Past winners include Thomas King, Madeleine Thien, Michael Ondaatje, Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood.

The Canada Council for the Arts is a partner of the CBC Literary Prizes. The 2023 CBC Short Story Prize can currently be submitted until October 31, 2022.

Below are the finalists in all seven English language categories.

The fiction finalists are:

Learn more about the fiction finalists here.

The 2021 Fiction Winner was Tainna: The invisible ones by Norma Dunning.

The non-fiction finalists are:

Find out more about the non-fiction finalists here.

The non-fiction winner 2021 was alfabet/alphabet: a memoir of first language by Sadiqa de Meijer.

The poetry finalists are:

Find out more about the poetry finalists here.

The 2021 poetry winner was The Junta of Chance by Tolu Oloruntoba.

Young Adult Literature — Text Finalists are:

You can find out more about young adult literature — text finalists here.

The prizewinner 2021 Young Adult Literature — Text was Firefly by Philippa Dowding.

The Young Adult Illustrated Books finalists are:

Learn more about the Young Adult Fiction — Illustrated Books finalists here.

The prizewinner 2021 Young Adult Literature – Illustrated Books was On the trap linewhat was written by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett.

The finalists for the French to English translation are:

Find out more about the finalists for French to English translations here.

The drama finalists are:

Learn more about the drama finalists here.