#FIRSTLOOK: GGBOOKS 2023 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to announce the 2023 finalists in the Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks). These prestigious awards celebrate works published in Canada, in both official languages, across seven categories, and include books for readers of all ages.
“Announcing the 2023 Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists is exciting for everyone involved because we get to celebrate and help draw attention to some of this year’s most remarkable literary works. On behalf of the Canada Council for the Arts, I congratulate this year’s 70 finalists and I also thank the broader community of authors, illustrators, translators, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and readers, whose combined enthusiasm for books contributes to the growing vitality and diversity of literature in Canada.” – Michelle Chawla, Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts
Following a rigorous process, the peer assessment committees convened by the Canada Council have selected 70 books published in Canada in 2023, as this year’s finalists.
About the GGBooks
Founded in 1936, the Governor General’s Literary Awards are some of the oldest and most prestigious prizes in Canada, with a total annual prize value of $450,000.
The Canada Council for the Arts has funded, administered and promoted these awards since 1959.
Finalists are selected by category-specific, language-based peer assessment committees (seven in English and seven in French), who consider eligible books published between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022.
Each writer, translator, or illustrator whose book is selected as winner in its category receives a $25,000 prize. Publishers receive $3,000 to promote the winning book; finalists receive $1,000 each.
English-language finalists for 2023 (seven categories)
Fiction
- A History of Burning – Janika Oza (Toronto, Ontario) McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada
- Chrysalis – Anuja Varghese (Hamilton, Ontario) House of Anansi Press
- In the Upper Country – Kai Thomas (Petersburgh, USA) Viking, Penguin Random House Canada
- The Sleeping Car Porter – Suzette Mayr (Calgary, Alberta) Coach House Books
- We Spread – Iain Reid (Kingston, Ontario) Scribner, Simon & Schuster Canada
Poetry
- Baby Book – Amy Ching-Yan Lam (Toronto, Ontario) Brick Books
- Exculpatory Lilies – Susan Musgrave (Masset, British Columbia) McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada
- Old Gods – Conor Kerr (Edmonton, Alberta) Nightwood Editions
- The Ridge – Robert Bringhurst (Heriot Bay, British Columbia) Harbour Publishing
- Xanax Cowboy – Hannah Green (Winnipeg, Manitoba) House of Anansi Press
Drama
- Forgiveness – Hiro Kanagawa (Port Moody, British Columbia) Playwrights Canada Press
- Is My Microphone On? – Jordan Tannahill (London, UK) Playwrights Canada Press
- The Enchanted Loom – Suvendrini Lena (Toronto, Ontario) Playwrights Canada Press
- The War Being Waged – Darla Contois (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Scirocco Drama, J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing
- William Shakespeareʼs As You Like It: A Radical Retelling – Cliff Cardinal (Toronto, Ontario Playwrights Canada Press
Non-fiction
- Gendered Islamophobia: My Journey With a Scar(f) – Monia Mazigh (Ottawa, Ontario) Mawenzi House Publishers
- Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery – Harrison Mooney (Vancouver, British Columbia) HarperCollins Canada
- Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist – Holly Hogan (St. Johnʼs, Newfoundland and Labrador) Knopf, Penguin Random House Canada
- Unbroken – Angela Sterritt (British Columbia) Greystone Books
- Unearthing – Kyo Maclear (Toronto, Ontario) Knopf, Penguin Random House Canada
Young People’s Literature – Text
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow – Zoulfa Katouh (Zurich, Switzerland) Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hachette Book Group
- Berani – Michelle Kadarusman (Toronto, Ontario) Pajama Press
- Fire on Headless Mountain – Iain Lawrence (Gabriola Island, British Columbia) Margaret Ferguson Books, Penguin Random House Canada
- The Probability of Everything – Sarah Everett (Edmonton, Alberta) Clarion Books, HarperCollins
- Weird Rules to Follow – Kim Spencer (British Columbia) Orca Book Publishers
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books
- Boobies – Nancy Vo (British Columbia) Groundwood Books
- Mr. S – Monica Arnaldo (Sainte-Julie, Quebec) Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins
- Still This Love Goes On – Buffy Sainte-Marie (Kapaa, USA) and Julie Flett (Victoria, British Columbia) Greystone Kids, Greystone Books
- The Skull – Jon Klassen (Los Angeles, USA) Candlewick Press
- When You Can Swim – Jack Wong (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Scholastic Canada
Translation (from French to English)
- Alone: The Journeys of Three Young Refugees – Arielle Aaronson (Montréal, Quebec) Groundwood Books Ltd. A translation of Seuls, by Paul Tom.
- House Within a House – D.M. Bradford (Verdun, Quebec) Brick Books. A translation of Désormais, ma demeure, by Nicholas Dawson.
- Kukum – Susan Ouriou (Calgary, Alberta) Arachnide, House of Anansi Press Inc. A translation of Kukum, by Michel Jean.
- Okinum – Émilie Monnet (Chelsea, Quebec) Scirocco Drama, J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing. A translation of Okinum, by Émilie Monnet.
- Rosaʼs Very Own Personal Revolution – Peter McCambridge (Québec City, Quebec) QC Fiction, Baraka Books. A translation of La logeuse, by Éric Dupont
French-language finalists for 2023 (seven categories)
Fiction
- Galumpf – Marie Hélène Poitras (Montréal, Quebec) Éditions Alto
- Lʼor des mélèzes – Carole Labarre (Sept-Îles, Québec) Mémoire dʼencrier
- Mon fils ne revint que sept jours – David Clerson (Montréal, Québec) Héliotrope
- Sombre est la nuit – Brigitte Haentjens (Montréal, Québec) Les Éditions du Boréal
- Une carte postale de lʼocéan – Stéfani Meunier (Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, Québec) Leméac Éditeur
Poetry
- À terre ouverte – Sebastián Ibarra Gutiérrez (Québec City, Quebec) Éditions Hamac
- Atikᵁ utei. Le coeur du caribou – Rita Mestokosho (Ekuanitshit, Quebec) Mémoire dʼencrier
- Exercices de joie – Louise Dupré (Montréal, Quebec) Le Noroît
- La fabrique du noir – Virginie Chaloux-Gendron (Québec City, Quebec) Le Noroît
- Les deuils transparents – Virginie Savard (Montréal, Quebec) Triptyque
Drama
- Akuteu – Soleil Launière (Montréal, Québec) Éditions du remue-ménage
- Charlie, du vent derrière le nombril – Martin Bellemare (Montréal, Québec) Dramaturges Éditeurs
- Gros gars – Mathieu Gosselin (Montréal, Québec) Éditions Somme toute
- Les glaces – Rébecca Déraspe (Montréal, Québec) Éditions de Ta Mère
- Mama – Nathalie Doummar (Montréal, Québec) Éditions du remue-ménage
Non-fiction
- Faux rebelles. Les dérives du politiquement incorrect – Philippe Bernier Arcand (Ottawa, Ontario) Éditions Poètes de brousse
- Jʼaccuse les tortionnaires dʼOmar Khadr – Frédéric Bérard (Montréal, Quebec) Saint-Jean Éditeur
- La société de provocation – Dahlia Namian (Montréal, Quebec) Lux Éditeur
- Mégaptère – Martine Béland (Pointe-de-l’Église, Nova Scotia) Leméac Éditeur
- Panique à lʼUniversité – Francis Dupuis-Déri (Montréal, Quebec) Lux Éditeur
Young People’s Literature – Text
- Escarpolette – Sylvie Drapeau (Montréal, Québec) Dominique et compagnie / Les éditions Héritage
- Le plancher de la lune – Jean-Christophe Réhel (Repentigny, Québec) la courte échelle
- Linoubliable – Lou Beauchesne (Montréal, Québec) la courte échelle
- Mélie quelque part au milieu – Mylène Goupil (Blainville, Québec) Éditions Québec Amérique
- Zipolaris Tome 3 : La malédiction de Zangra – J.L. Blanchard (Laval, Quebec) Éditions Fides
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books
- La fin des poux? – Orbie (Percé, Quebec) Éditions Les 400 coups
- Trèfle – Nadine Robert (Varennes, Quebec) and Qin Leng (Toronto, Ontario) Comme des géants
- Truffe – Fanny Britt (Montréal, Quebec) and Isabelle Arsenault (Montréal, Québec) Les Éditions de la Pastèque
- Seuls – Paul Tom (Montréal, Quebec) and Mélanie Baillairgé (Montréal, Québec) la courte échelle
- Un rhume de cheval – Pierrette Dubé (Saint-Lambert, Quebec) and Enzo (Montréal, Québec) Fonfon
Translation (from English to French)
- Dans lʼombre du soleil : Réflexions sur la race et les récits – Catherine Ego (Montréal, Québec) Les Éditions du Boréal. A translation of Out of the Sun: On Race and Storytelling, by Esi Edugyan.
- Nʼayons pas peur du ciel – Dominique Fortier (Montréal, Québec) Éditions Alto. A translation of We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky, by Emma Hooper.
- Père fictif – Luba Markovskaia (Montréal, Quebec) Éditions de la Pastèque. A translation of Fictional Father, by Joe Ollmann.
- soufrelangue – Madeleine Stratford (Ottawa, Ontario) Éditions Prise de parole. A translation of sulphurtongue, by Rebecca Salazar.
- Tout est bien – Marie Frankland (Montréal, Québec) Éditions Québec Amérique. A translation of Allʼs Well, by Mona Awad.
Makeup of the 2023 English-language peer assessment committees
Fiction: Carleigh Baker, Neil Bissoondath and Jessica Westhead
Poetry: Mary Dalton, Moez Surani and Gillian Sze
Drama: Aaron Bushkowsky, Tai Amy Grauman and Julie Tamiko Manning
Non-fiction: KatłĮà Lafferty, Lorri Neilsen Glenn and Rinaldo Walcott
Young People’s Literature – Text: Cheryl Foggo, June Hur and Tom Ryan
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Marianne Ferrer, Lee Edward Födi and Mahak Jain
Translation (from French to English): Bilal Hashmi, Melissa Bull and Pablo Strauss
Makeup of the 2023 French-language peer assessment committees
Fiction: Edem Awumey, Danielle Dussaultand Tassia Trifiatis-Tezgel
Poetry: Mimi Haddam, Gabriel Osson and Judy Quinn
Drama: Katrine Deniset, Isabelle Hubert and Gabriel Léger-Savard
Non-fiction: Karim Akouche, Martine Jacquot and Julie Kurtness
Young People’s Literature – Text: Cheyda Haramein, Jean-François Sénéchal and Danièle Simpson
Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books: Julien Chung and Andrée Lévesque-Sioui
Translation (from English to French): Rose Després, Benoit Laflamme and Marie-Thé Morin
Mark your calendars. The 14 winners will be announced on ggbooks.ca on November 8, 2023.