Montreal Book Grand Prize: unveiling of the finalists

Authors Antoine Charbonneau-Demers and Sarah Berthiaume were both finalists for the Grand Prix du livre de Montréal with their respective literary works Roman without anything et Wollstonecraft.

In existence since 1965, this prize aims to promote excellence in literary creation and to highlight the dynamism of the Montreal publishing community.

The finalist works were unveiled by the City of Montreal on Thursday morning.

For the third consecutive year, the poet and novelist Carole David will chair the jury, made up of five other members.

A $15,000 scholarship will be offered by the City of Montreal to the author of the winning book, while the four other finalists will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

The winning title will be crowned during a ceremony at Montreal city hall on December 11.

This Sunday, around 4 p.m., the Montreal Libraries will present a round table at the Montreal Book Fair with the finalists. The activity will be led by librarian Sarrah Osama.

Jury comments on the five finalist works

Mood swings, Frankie Barnet, Éditions McClelland & Stewart

This novel is an incredible dystopia full of tasty dialogues. It ironically explores contemporary issues like eco-anxiety, cancel culture and loneliness due to social media. With a powerful look at our times, it offers a satirical and daring fresco of the Anglo-Montreal youth of Mile End.

WollstonecraftSarah Berthiaume, Les Éditions de Ta Mère

In this contemporary and offbeat version of Frankenstein, the author skillfully mixes gothic imagination, recycling and artificial intelligence. The dialogues, alternating with the epistolary style of Mary Shelley, update the timeless theme of the limits of human creation. This transposition offers a rich and captivating narrative experience.

Novel without anythingAntoine Charbonneau-Demers, VLB Editor

Part diary and part novel, this work skillfully plays on the gap between the two in a wry and hypersensitive portrait of gay sexuality, selfishness, jealousy and family. A true mirror of our contemporary society, violence is the common thread that marks the entire universe of this story imbued with great vulnerability.

The account is goodLouis-Daniel Godin, Éditions La Peuplade

With this first work, the author renews the childhood story by navigating through the memories of his narrator and creating a memory mosaic marked by obsession. Through evocative descriptions of the Montreal suburbs of the 1990s, this novel challenges debt and inheritance in invigorating and rhythmic language.

Self-portrait of anotherÉlise Turcotte, Éditions Alto

With great freedom of writing, the author revives the memory of a woman whose life must not be forgotten, through an unresolved investigation. The intimate and family story intersects with the cultural and intellectual history of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It is an exploration of the self skillfully turned towards the other, in fluid and captivating writing.