Autumn is here and so is the 2019 Giller Long Lost 

I have always loved the autumn, the changing colour of the trees, school starting – it’s my favourite time of year. 

As an avid reader, it is also exciting to see the long lists for various literary prizes, especially ones that focus on Canadian authors – like the Giller Prize, which is announced each fall.

 The Giller longlist was just released earlier this month, and soon the shortlist will be announced – on September 30, to be precise – and this year’s round-up looks fantastic. 

Not surprisingly, the list includes Margaret Atwood’s latest, The Testaments, which is the follow up to her enormously popular The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood has been a both a Giller prize winner (among many other prizes) and judge over the years.

Andre Alexi, a former Giller prize winner, is on the list, too, with his new book Days by Moon. He is best known for his prize-winning book, Fifteen Dogs. 

Another familiar name on the list is David Bezmozgis, who has won a number of prizes, including the Giller Prize. His book is called Immigrant City, but you may know him better from his books, The Free World or The Betrayers.

Steven Price has made the list with his book  Lampedusa. He is also the author of By Gas Light, which previously made the Giller long list. He also writes award-winning poetry.

A new name on the list is Megan Gail Coles. She is originally from Newfoundland and is currently working on her PhD at Concordia. She has already released a book, which was well-received, and her book on this year’s long list is Small Game Hunting at the Local Gun Club.

Of their experience working on the long list, the Jury stated, “Over the past few months, we have had the opportunity to read a selection of books that speak to the distinctive vitality of Canadian writing now. 

“The 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist reveals and affirms a welcome and timely truth: Canadian fiction in 2019 is as confident in its exploration and interrogation of the local as it is curious and voracious in its engagement with the world beyond our borders, with time and place being understood in ways that are expansive, warping, and unexpectedly intimate. These books make it plain that great writing happens when art and ideas matter over all else in establishing the imaginative terrain that readers are invited, inspired, and challenged to explore.”

Stay tuned for the next update – the shortlist!