Quebec writer Éric Chacour is on the short list of five finalists for the prestigious Canadian Giller Literary Prize, with the English version of his first novel, What I know about you.
The book, released in French in January 2023, won the Femina prize for high school students in France that year, in addition to being crowned last May with the Prix des libraires de France. The novel was also shortlisted for the Renaudot and Femina prizes.
What I know about you – What I Know About You in the English translation by Pablo Strauss – relates the journey of an Egyptian doctor who must face the expectations of his family and his environment.
Giller Prize organizers on Wednesday reduced the list of finalists for this literary award from 12 to 5, which comes with a $100,000 grant. The prize is due to be presented on November 18.
The other four finalists are Toronto poet Anne Michaels for her novel Held, British-Columbian writer Anne Fleming for her novel Curiosities, Toronto author Deepa Rajagopalan for her collection of short stories Peacocks of Instagram as well as the Alberta writer Conor Kerr for his novel Prairie Edge.
A name change in the face of controversy
The Giller Prize was at the heart of a controversy in literary circles earlier this summer due to the investments of its main sponsor, Scotiabank, in an Israeli arms manufacturer.
Until last month, the award was officially known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize. But when organizers released the preliminary list of 12 finalists on September 4, they removed the bank’s name, in an effort to focus on the artists.
Dozens of authors withdrew their books from the competition due to the presence of Scotiabank and other prize sponsors, such as Indigo. There CEO of the bookstore chain, Heather Reisman, is co-founder of the HESEG Foundation, which provides financial support to people who join the Israeli army.
Some of the authors who withdrew their books from the competition became finalists for other major literary prizes, such as Canisia Lubrin, whose book Code black was selected for a Governor General’s Literary Award, as were Quebec authors Emmanuelle Pierrot and Léa Clermont-Dion.
Two of the five jurors who were committed to choosing this year’s finalists also cut ties with Giller. The selection process continued with only three Canadian judges.
