Here’s this year’s Giller Prize longlist:
André Alexis for his novel Fifteen Dogs, published by Coach House Books
•Samuel Archibald for his story collection Arvida, published by Biblioasis, translated from the French by Donald Winkler
•Michael Christie for his novel If I Fall, If I Die, published by McClelland & Stewart
•Rachel Cusk for her novel Outline, published by Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
•Patrick deWitt for his novel Undermajordomo Minor, published by House of Anansi Press
•Marina Endicott for her novel Close to Hugh, published by Doubleday Canada
•Connie Gault for her novel A Beauty, published by McClelland & Stewart
•Alix Hawley for her novel All True Not a Lie in It, published by Knopf Canada
•Clifford Jackman for his novel The Winter Family, published by Random House Canada
•Heather O’Neill for her story collection Daydreams of Angels, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
•Anakana Schofield for her novel Martin John, published by A John Metcalf Book, an imprint of Biblioasis
•Russell Smith for his story collection Confidence, published by A John Metcalf Book, an imprint of Biblioasis
Certainly some familiar names and a few surprise absences (Jane Urquhart and Nino Ricci to name just two). As I indicated in my last post, I haven’t read a single one of these — so it is time to get down to some serious book buying and reading.
Stay tuned.
KevinfromCanada 
September 9, 2015 at 10:46 am |
I think this looks like a really exciting longlist. If the four I’ve read so far (Endicott, Gault, Hawley & O’Neill) are representative of the list as a whole, then we should be in for not only some cracking reads, but books that use language in a creative way (perhaps not so much Heather O’Neill, where storytelling is the focus, but definitely the other three).
Despite having copies of her last two books, ‘Close to Hugh’ was the first time I’d read Marina Endicott and I absolutely adored it. More than any other this was the novel I was hoping would be on the longlist. It’s full of wordplay and puns and multiple meanings, but is grounded by a cast of wonderful characters. It’s a little bit like Eleanor Catton’s ‘The Rehearsal’ but with the warmth and heart that I felt that book lacked. Probably too early to say this yet, but I hope it makes the shortlist.
And who knew Rachel Cusk was Canadian? I only found out a month or so ago when I saw ‘Outline’ had been submitted for the Governor General’s Awards. I wonder if her publishers have only just realised? You’d have thought one of her earlier books would have at least made a longlist sometime.
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September 9, 2015 at 11:52 am |
I have read two of Endicott’s works and thought they were good, but not great. Having said that, she did strike me as an author who could well get better. I’ve decided I’ll start with the Gault — I’m up for a Prairie novel.
I don’t know Rachel Cusk. Even I have trouble claiming someone as Canadian when they have lived in the U.K. since they were 7.
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September 9, 2015 at 1:07 pm |
How is Rachel Cusk on this list? I thought she was British? I saw her do a reading of this novel during the Folio Prize festival and I wasn’t impressed. I had a review copy of this novel and have since given it away without reading it. Oops.
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September 9, 2015 at 1:23 pm |
Well I guess if you are going to have citizenship as a criteria, you have to accept ex-pats who have retained theirs.
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September 9, 2015 at 1:34 pm |
Hmmm… interesting… Fortunately I haven’t thrown away my ARCs of “Fifteen Dogs” and “Under Major Domo Minor”, so I will definitely read those ones first. Most others on the long list are available to purchase here as Kindle editions.
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September 9, 2015 at 6:30 pm |
Thanks for that note — I’ll leave those two to you at this stage and get to them later.
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September 9, 2015 at 8:34 pm |
Well we claimed Eleanor Catton, and I think she and Cusk spent about the same number of childhood years in Canada. I have the deWitt and the Schifiekd and was going to start with them.
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September 9, 2015 at 2:57 pm |
Well the only name i recognise is Rachel Cusk so now I have a lot more new authors to explore
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September 9, 2015 at 3:27 pm |
Oh, don’t get me started on citizenship issues! What about Australia giving away its most prestigious literary award to Evie Wyld? She was born in England, she was educated in England and she lives, works and has her own business in England, but spent some of her childhood in Australia so she has dual citizenship. I see that Wikipedia is now calling her an Anglo-Australian writer; the Guardian calls her British-Australian.
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September 10, 2015 at 6:53 am |
I haven’t read any of these either but a few have been on my wish list for a while. I find it interesting that so many of these books are from smaller publishers. There was so much concern that Penguin Random House would become the only Canadian publisher and yet here is some proof that these little houses can and often do make an enormous contribution.
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September 10, 2015 at 6:59 am |
The jury considered 168 books — so publishing fiction is obviously still going on in Canada. Getting people to buy those books seems to be a different matter, however. And while it may be more a labor of love than a viable business, I agree that the independent houses continue to bring us outstanding new work.
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September 10, 2015 at 7:47 am |
I must be out of the loop. Haven’t heard of any of these.
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September 10, 2015 at 10:55 am |
I’m not surprised — Canadian novels don’t get a lot of attention in the U.S.
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September 10, 2015 at 4:27 pm |
What a day! I thought the Giller longlist was happening next week, so I was surprised to see it today, and even more thrilled to read about the return of KfC!
I like the list with its mix of new names and old, nine novels and three short story collections. I enjoyed The Beggar’s Garden and The Sisters Brothers a few years ago, so I’m pleased to see Christie and deWitt on the list now … Especially having picked up Undermajordomo Minor from the library yesterday.
And what a good year for Biblioasis! I saw publisher Daniel Wells at the IFOA last year talking about how excited he was that they were getting into translation, and already it earns them a spot on the longlist.
Glad to have you back Kevin!
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September 11, 2015 at 6:24 am |
Thanks Bradley. I agree that it is a list that features a wide variety on a number of fronts. And Biblioasis has every right to be proud.
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