τς στη μνήμη της εκλιπούσης συζύγου του Ντόρις Τζίλερ, που ήταν κριτικός λογοτεχνίας.Elizabeth Hay wins Scotiabank Giller prize
The Canadian Press, Nov. 7 2007,
TORONTO -- Elizabeth Hay, a former journalist who long hoped to write a work of fiction about a "golden summer" working in Yellowknife in the 1970s, is the winner of this year's lucrative Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel "Late Nights on Air."
An emotional Hay, 56, picked up the prize Tuesday night in front of a star-studded crowd of about 500 people teeming with movers and shakers from Canada's corporate, broadcasting and political worlds. They included former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, onetime Ontario premier David Peterson, actor Gordon Pinsent and broadcasters Pamela Wallin and Knowlton Nash.
"I am very thrilled and very lucky; so lucky in fact that I'll probably be hit by a truck tomorrow," Hay joked as she accepted the prize. "It's important that I say my thank-yous now."
Hay later said she was surprised to win the Giller, which is worth $40,000 to the winner.
"I thought I had a shot but I actually didn't think I would win it," said Hay, who beat out literary heavyweights Michael Ondaatje and M.G. Vassanji for her tale of love in the North. "It's a self-protective device to just assume that you will not win. But it's such a splendid night, all of the people on the short list wished each other well, we wished each other good luck."
"Late Nights on Air," inspired by Hay's own years working at the public broadcaster in Yellowknife for a decade beginning in 1974, tells the story of a hard-bitten journalist who falls in love with a voice on the radio.
She has said she considered her years working in Yellowknife to be some of the sweetest of her life, adding much of the book was inspired by her time there.
Alice Munro, a Giller winner herself, was visibly delighted by Hay's win, leaping to her feet when her name was announced.
"It's a wonderful book and she's a very good writer," Munro said. "I am so happy for her."
As Hay, her fellow nominees and the revellers celebrated the biggest night of the year for the Canadian publishing industry, booksellers across the country were excited about a party of a different sort: the annual rush of customers always eager to buy the night's winning title.
"There's no question the Giller is absolutely huge - there's no prize that comes even close to comparing," Dave Lawrence, manager of a McNally Robinson bookstore in Winnipeg, said earlier Tuesday.
"It destroys the Governor General's prize. I would say the Booker would be next in line for a prize having such a direct affect on sales."
Along with Hay, four novels were also nominated for this year's prize: Ondaatje's "Divisadero," Vassanji's "The Assassin's Song," Alissa York's "Effigy" and Daniel Poliquin's "A Secret Between Us."
The runners-up receive $2,500 each. The Giller was founded in 1994 by businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.
Ben McNally, owner of Ben McNally Books in Toronto, said the Giller's influence on sales has become monumental in the 13 years since the prize came into existence.
"Book sales for all the short-listed books are much more robust, and sales for the winner are usually extremely so," McNally said. "And the best thing about the Giller is the way it piques interest in Canadian fiction all year long."
Mike Hamm, the manager of the independent bookstore Bookmark in Halifax, said the days and weeks following the Giller prize are among the busiest of the year for his store.
"Last year, it was a scramble to keep stock of the Vincent Lam book - it was phenomenal," Hamm said
"The minute we hear the nominations, actually, we'll code all the books in our system and beef up the orders because we do have some regular customers who will just buy all five every year. The Giller really brings a lot of attention to Canadian publishing - it's wonderful - and the broadcast generates a lot of buzz. It's a big spotlight on Canadian literature."
No comments:
Post a Comment