TORONTO, Sept. 30, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist was announced, celebrating six Canadian writers and the 26^th edition of the Prize.

This year's jury, comprised of Canadian authors Donna Bailey Nurse, Randy Boyagoda (jury chair) and Canadian playwright José Teodoro, along with Scottish-Sierra Leonean author Aminatta Forna and Bosnian-American author Aleksandar (Sasha) Hemon, narrowed down the 117 submitted works to 12 to create the longlist (announced on September 3, in St. John's, NL) and today announced the six shortlisted authors.

The 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist is:

• David Bezmozgis for his short story collection Immigrant City, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
• Megan Gail Coles for her novel Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club, published by House of Anansi Press
• Michael Crummey for his novel The Innocents, published by Doubleday Canada
• Alix Ohlin for her novel Dual Citizens, published by House of Anansi Press
• Steven Price for his novel Lampedusa, published by McClelland & Stewart
• Ian Williams for his novel Reproduction, published by Random House Canada

Read the jury citations about each of the shortlisted authors.

The 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlisted books are available in accessible format for print-disabled Canadians through the National Network for Equitable Library Service NNELS (nnels.ca) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access CELA (celalibrary.ca).

CBC is pleased to announce the Juno Award winning singer-songwriter, broadcaster, actress and author Jann Arden as the host of the Scotiabank Giller Prize Gala on November 18. Arden has won eight Juno Awards and has written four books including Falling Backwards (2011) and Feeding My Mother (2017). Arden is also the star of  Jann, one of Canada's most popular comedy TV series. Arden was also inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

The 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala will broadcast live on CBC at 9 p.m. (11:30 AT/12 midnight NT). A livestream will begin at 9 p.m. ET on CBC Books and the free CBC Gem streaming service. The gala will also be available as a broadcast special on CBC Radio One at 9 p.m. (10 AT/10:30 NT), once again hosted by The Next Chapter's Shelagh Rogers and CBC q books columnist, Jael Richardson. 

Quotes

"This year's shortlist shows that Canadian fiction is clearly at the top of its game. These six books will captivate and enthrall and deserve to be read and read widely. The authors have rightfully earned their spots as finalists for this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize."
– Elana Rabinovitch, Executive Director, Scotiabank Giller Prize

"Scotiabank has proudly stood as the title sponsor of the Scotiabank Giller Prize since 2005 and we are thrilled to continue to support this celebration of excellence in Canadian literature. As an organization, Scotiabank has a deep and long-time commitment to supporting arts and culture in Canada. We believe the arts enrich our communities and help to create new opportunities for the spectacular talent across our country. We congratulate the impressive authors who make up the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist."
– John Doig, Executive Vice President, Retail Distribution, Scotiabank

"I am so excited to be hosting the Scotiabank Giller Prize this year! I  have been such an avid reader all my life and words have literally shaped my entire career. It is an honour to be a small part of this very important celebration of our brilliant Canadian authors."
– Jann Arden, Host of the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize Gala

The Scotiabank Giller Prize is pleased once again to present our Between the Pages series of readings, featuring this year's shortlisted authors.

Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalists will take you inside the minds and creative lives of the writers on the 2019 shortlist. All venues are wheelchair accessible and an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will be present.

The Between the Pages tour will stop in the following locations:

• Ottawa – October 16
• Halifax – October 18
• Vancouver – October 21
• Winnipeg – October 23
• Toronto – October 28
• New York – October 30

For more information about the Between the Pages tour, please visit: www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/between-the-pages

Air Canada is the official and exclusive airline of the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Air Canada's sponsorship will take the finalists across the country and into the U.S., for the Between the Pages tour.

About the Prize
The Giller Prize, founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, highlights the very best in Canadian fiction year after year. In 2005, the prize teamed up with Scotiabank who increased the winnings four-fold. The Scotiabank Giller Prize now awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English, and $10,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller by her husband Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch, who passed away in August 2017.

About Scotiabank       
Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in the Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 100,000 employees and assets of over $1 trillion (as at July 31, 2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada's trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

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About Cineplex
Cineplex (TSX:CGX) is a top-tier Canadian brand that operates in the Film Entertainment and Content, Amusement and Leisure, and Media sectors. A leading entertainment and media company, Cineplex welcomes over 70 million guests annually through its circuit of theatres and location based entertainment venues across the country.

In addition to being Canada's largest and most innovative film exhibitor, Cineplex also operates successful businesses in digital commerce (CineplexStore.com), food service, alternative programming (Cineplex Events), cinema media (Cineplex Media), digital place-based media (Cineplex Digital Media), amusement solutions (Player One Amusement Group) and an online esports platform for competitive and passionate gamers (WorldGaming Network).To learn more visit Cineplex.com or download the Cineplex App.

SOURCE Scotiabank