Ondaatje, Vassanji, Atwood among literary stars on Governor General’s short list

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This article was published 16/10/2007 (6927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and M.G. Vassanji are among the acclaimed writers in the running for this year’s Governor General’s Literary Awards.

Ondaatje and Vassanji, both based in Toronto, are having a particularly good month. Their inclusion on the Governor General’s fiction short list comes on the heels of being named finalists last week for the lucrative Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Ondaatje’s novel is called “Divisadero” while Vassanji’s is “The Assassin’s Song.”

Rounding out the Governor General’s fiction short list is David Chariandy of Vancouver for “Soucouyant,” Toronto’s Barbara Gowdy for “Helpless” and Montrealer Heather O’Neill for “Lullabies for Little Criminals.”

“I’m happy and relieved,” Gowdy said from her home after hearing she made the shortlist.

“There are a lot of really worthy books every year and these short lists are so short, so it’s exciting to be on it.”

Gowdy said she was a little surprised to be recognized for “Helpless”, since it generated a bit of controversy with a nuanced portrayal of a male character dogged by pedophilic inclinations.

Atwood, meanwhile, is up for a poetry prize for her volume “The Door: Poems.” Her competitors include Dennis Lee, who is probably best-known for his poem “Alligator Pie.”

Among the non-fiction nominees is Globe and Mail journalist Stephanie Nolen, who received a nod for her book “28: Stories of AIDS in Africa.”

Eva Wiseman of Winnipeg, meanwhile, was short listed in the children’s literature category for “Kanada,” a book based on her parents’ experiences in Auschwitz. The honour comes the day after the book won the $1,000 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People.

Wiseman said she’s pleased that kids aren’t the only ones reading her book.

“I can’t even describe (how I feel), I’m beyond thrilled,” said Wiseman, who said she stopped by the announcement at a downtown bookstore on a whim.

“The thumping you hear is my heart, I’m just so happy.”

Wiseman said the book was based on stories her late mother and 95-year-old father told her about the Holocaust, adding she felt it was important for kids today to understand what happened so that such atrocities never occur again.

“People don’t give kids credit,” Wiseman said of the heavy topic she chose for “Kanada.”

“Kids are able to process topics like this… Kids are open to ideas and kids have a sense of justice, a sense of fairness and a sense of what is right and what is wrong. When you write for kids they don’t let you get away with anything, if you’re not sort of honest, kids catch you and they let you know.”

This year, the prize money for the Governor General’s Literary Awards has been upped from $15,000 to $25,000. The increase is intended to celebrate of the Canada Council’s 50th anniversary.

English fiction juror Austin Clarke said he was struck by the number of female writers, authors from eastern Canada, historical novels and what appeared to be an increase in humour.

“All in all, the language in the books, the narrative, express a confidence that I had not seen (previously),” said Clarke.

“Whereas (before) you could pretend to an aspect of universality in dropping names like…Piccadilly Circus, nowadays, I get the impression that you are finding cultural nationalistic pride in mentioning how a person skating on the Rideau Canal looks and using that perhaps as a symbol of something greater, meaning something Canadian.”

Gowdy, nominated three times for the Governor General’s award and twice for the Giller, admitted that she dreads nomination time every year, noting that the announcements can be “wounding for the writers that are left out.”

“It’s part of the prize that isn’t spoken about – the pain that is caused to the writers that are left out – but if there’s going to be a prize there are going to be people who don’t get shortlisted and don’t win.”

“In fact, I’ve arranged to go to Italy soon for 10 days because I thought I’d like to have something to look forward to in the fall rather than something to fret about.”

The winners will be announced Nov. 27.