VANCOUVER, Sept. 16, 2013 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Giller Prize today announced its longlist for this year's award from the University of British Columbia's famed Museum of Anthropology. The event was co-hosted by UBC's Creative Writing Program and the Vancouver Writers Fest (VWF).

Twenty thirteen marks the 20^th anniversary of the Giller Prize and the 50^th anniversary of UBC's distinguished Creative Writing Program.

Author and 2013 Giller juror Esi Edugyan was at the event to present the 13 titles that were chosen from a field of 147 books, submitted by 61 publishers from every region of the country.

Edugyan's fellow jurors this year are Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and American author Jonathan Lethem.

The longlist for the 20^th anniversary of the Scotiabank Giller Prize is:

• Dennis Bock for his novel Going Home Again, published by HarperCollins Canada 
• Joseph Boyden for his novel The Orenda, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada
• Lynn Coady for her short story collection Hellgoing, published by House of Anansi Press
• Craig Davidson for his novel Cataract City, published by Doubleday Canada
• Elisabeth De Mariaffi for her short story collection How To Get Along With Women, published by Invisible Publishing
• David Gilmour for his novel Extraordinary, published by Patrick Crean Editions
• Wayne Grady for his novel Emancipation Day, published by Doubleday Canada
• Louis Hamelin for his novel October 1970, translated by Wayne Grady and published by House of Anansi Press 
• Wayne Johnston for his novel The Son of a Certain Woman, published by Knopf Canada
• Claire Messud for her novel The Woman Upstairs, published by Knopf Canada
• Lisa Moore for her novel Caught, published by House of Anansi Press
• Dan Vyleta for his novel The Crooked Maid, published by HarperCollins Canada
• Michael Winter for his novel Minister Without Portfolio, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada

Of the longlist, the jury writes:

"These are essential stories. Each of these novels and story collections offer a glimpse of who we are, who we might be. Whether set in postwar Vienna, or 1970s Montreal, contemporary Afghanistan or Newfoundland, each of these books took us out of ourselves to places that were at times uncomfortable, at times exhilarating. Some of the short stories in these collections exhibit a scope and breadth one would normally associate with a novel; some of the novels on this list have the distilled intensity one expects from short fiction. But all of these books surprised us with their formal rigour, the ferocity of their vision, and their willingness to tell unknown stories in remarkably familiar ways. These thirteen books remind us, once again, of that particular beauty only the written word can realize. This is writing at its finest."

The Giller Prize will present its shortlist at a special event in Toronto on October 8^th. The winner will be announced at a gala ceremony to honour the finalists on Tuesday, November 5^th during a live broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT), hosted by Jian Ghomeshi from CBC Radio One's Q.

On Monday, November 4, 2013, we are delighted to present a very special event, taking place at Koerner Hall. Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalists will take you inside the minds and creative lives of the five writers on the 2013 shortlist.  CBC Radio`s Carol Off will gather the finalists for an insightful and lively discussion of their work, characters and themes. Special guests will present readings from the shortlisted books and beautiful music will round out an unforgettable evening of Canadian arts and culture. To purchase tickets, please visit Koerner Hall.

The Between the Pages event will also be available simultaneously via livestream on the Scotiabank Giller Prize website and Facebook page.

About the Prize

The Scotiabank Giller Prize strives to highlight the very best in Canadian fiction year after year. The prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English, and $5,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller and was founded in 1994 by her husband, Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch.

About Scotiabank:

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank Bright Future.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $47 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com

About CBC Books:

CBC Books features all of CBC's rich literary content across all platforms - audio, video and digital. This one-stop destination for book lovers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, bestseller lists, discussions, and blogs. It is an online meeting place where literary enthusiasts can find the books they want to read, connect with other Canadians who love to read as much as they do, and keep up on all of CBC's major literary events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes.

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SOURCE Scotiabank