#GILLERAWARDS: OMAR EL AKKAD’S “WHAT STRANGE PARADISE” AWARDED 2021 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

Canada’s greatest in the literary world were honoured tonight in Toronto at newly-reopened Park Hyatt Hotel at the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Awards. The Awards recognize accomplishments of Canadian Authors domestically and abroad. The Gala was hosted by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim’s Convenience) and Canadian Poet Rupi Kaur.

Winning top honours for the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize (worth $100k) was Author and Journalist Omar El Akkad for his novel, WHAT STRANGE PARADISE. The Book, published by Random House Canada, centers on a young Syrian boy named Amir rescued after his sunken dilapidated ship containing several people escaping their homelands, by a teenage girl named Vänna. The girl is determined to save the boy despite them not speaking a common language.

Those also named on the shortlist this year included:

• Angélique Lalonde for her story collection Glorious Frazzled Beings, published by House of Anansi


• Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia for her novel The Son of The House, published by Dundurn Press


• Jordan Tannahill for his novel The Listeners, published by HarperCollins Canada


• Miriam Toews for her novel Fight Night, published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada

This year’s jury included Canadian authors Zalika Reid-Benta (Jury Chair), Megan Gail Coles and Joshua Whitehead, Malaysian novelist Tash Aw and American author Joshua Ferris.

Others in attendance tonight included the likes of :

MARGARET ATWOOD | THE HONOURABLE LISA MACLEOD
 THE HONOURABLE BOB RAE | ALLAN HAWCO
TAMARA JEM | RICK MERCER | ANDREW PYPER | LILY CHU | CHARLIE FORAN | CATHERINE HERNANDEZ |   BILAL BAIG | SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSATANYA TALAGA | IAN WILLIAMS

Some snaps of the event below:

More on the Awards here. Missed the Awards? You can stream them on CBC Gem.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)