Governor General's Literary Award Winner 2013

The Governor General Literary Awards for 2013 were announced last night. The winners are:

For English fiction -  The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Winner of the 2013 Man Booker Prize, and set during the heady days of New Zealand's Gold Rush, " The Luminaries" isa magnificent novel of love, lust, murder, and greed, in which three unsolved crimes link the fates and fortunes of twelve men. Dickens meets "Deadwood "in this internationally celebrated phenomenon. In January 1866, young Walter Moody lands in a gold-mining frontier town on the west coast of New Zealand to make his fortune and forever leave behind a family scandal. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have met in secret to investigate what links three crimes that occurred on a single day: the town's wealthiest man has vanished. An enormous fortune in pure gold has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. A prostitute has supposedly tried to end her life. But nothing is quite as it seems. As the men share their stories, what emerges is an intricate network of alliances and betrayals, secrets and lies, that is as exquisitely patterned as the night sky. Part mystery, part fantastical love story, and full of diabolical twists and turns, "The Luminaries" is a richly imagined novel that brilliantly weaves together the changing fates and fortunes of an entire community, one where everyone has something to hide. Full of character and event, it is a gripping page-turner -- and a unique, atmospheric world - in which readers will gladly lose themselves.

For English poetry- North End Love Songs by Katherena Vermetter

Not available in the Parkland Regional Library System at this time.










For English drama - Fault Lines: Three Plays by Nicolas Billon

Not available in the Parkland Regional Library System at this time.








For English Non-fiction: Journey with No Maps: A Life of P. K. Page by Sandra Djwa

Not available in the Parkland Regional Library System at this time.







For English Children's Text: The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

Teresa Toten is back with a compulsively readable new book for teens! When Adam meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath. He's determined to protect and defend her--to play Batman to her Robyn--whatever the cost. But when you're fourteen and the everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it's hard to imagine yourself falling in love. How can you have a "normal" relationship when your life is so fraught with problems? And that's not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam's mother has started to receive . . . Teresa Toten sets some tough and topical issues against the backdrop of a traditional whodunit in this engaging new novel that readers will find hard to put down.



For English Children's Illustration: Northwest Passage by Matt James

Award-winning artist Matt James takes the iconic song Northwest Passage by legendary Canadian songwriter and singer Stan Rogers and tells the dramatic story of the elusive route through Canada's North to the Pacific, which for hundreds of years and once again today, nations, explorers and commercial interests have dreamt of conquering, often with tragic consequences. For hundreds of years explorers attempted to find the Northwest Passage - a route through Canada's northern waters to the Pacific Ocean and Asia. Others attempted to find a land route. Many hundreds of men perished in the attempt, until finally, in 1906, Roald Amundsen completed the voyage by ship. Today global warming has brought interest in the passage back to a fever pitch as nations contend with each other over its control and future uses. The historic search inspired Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers to write Northwest Passage, a song that has become a widely known favorite since its 1981 release. It describes Stan's own journey overland as he contemplates the arduous journeys of some of the explorers, including Kelsey, Mackenzie, Thompson and especially Franklin. The song is moving and haunting, a paean to the adventurous spirit of the explorers and to the beauty of the vast land and icy seas. The lyrics are accompanied by the striking paintings of multiple award-winning artist Matt James. Matt brings a unique vision to the song and the history behind it, annotating his illustrations with marginalia about the explorers, including the native peoples of the North. The book also contains the music for the song, a note on the Northwest Passage, maps, information about Stan Rogers (as well as a final verse of the song that was never recorded), mini-biographies and portraits of the principle explorers, and a note on the illustrations. Following on the success of Canadian Railroad Trilogy, this is another beautiful book in which a memorable song illuminates a fascinating history that has taken on new resonance today.


For English Translation: The Major Verbs by Donald Winkler

Not available in the Parkland Regional Library System at this time.








For further information on the short-listed books as well as the French winners check out their website - GG 2013