ST. JOHN'S, NL, Sept. 6, 2022 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Giller Prize's annual celebration of Canadian literary talent began today with the announcement of this year's longlist. Last year's winner, Omar El Akkad, announced the longlist today in St. John's. The announcement was also livestreamed on the Scotiabank Giller Prize Facebook™ page.

Now in its 29^th year, the Scotiabank Giller Prize highlights the very best of Canadian fiction. This year, 138 works of literature were submitted for consideration by publishers across Canada, with the longlist narrowed down to 14 titles. 

The authors and titles named to the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist are:

• Billy-Ray Belcourt for his novel, A Minor Chorus, published by Hamish Hamilton Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
• André Forget for his novel, In the City of Pigs, published by Dundurn Press
• Kim Fu for her short story collection, Lesser-Known Monsters of the 21st Century, published by Coach House Books
• Rawi Hage for his short story collection, Stray Dogs, published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
• Sheila Heti for her novel, Pure Colour, published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
• Brian Thomas Isaac for his novel, All the Quiet Places, published by Touchwood Editions
• Conor Kerr for his novel, Avenue of Champions, published by Nightwood Editions
• Suzette Mayr for her novel, The Sleeping Car Porter, published by Coach House Books
• Noor Naga for her novel, If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English, published by Graywolf Press
• André Narbonne for his novel Lucien & Olivia, published by Black Moss Press
• Dimitri Nasrallah for his novel, Hotline, published by Véhicule Press
• Fawn Parker for her novel, What We Both Know, published by McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
• Tsering Yangzom Lama for her novel, We Measure The Earth With Our Bodies, published by McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
• Antoine Wilson for his novel, Mouth to Mouth, published by Simon & Schuster Canada

The longlist was selected by an esteemed panel of five judges: Canadian authors Casey Plett (Jury Chair), Kaie Kellough, Waubgeshig Rice, and American authors, Katie Kitamura and Scott Spencer.

Each judge was given access to a complimentary Audible™ account, providing an opportunity to listen to the submissions that were available on Audible's service.

Of the longlist, the jury wrote:

As the world roils and rolls on in this strange new decade, the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize jury can report that Canadian fiction is only becoming more bountiful, energetic, meaningful, funny, and moving. The jury's discussions and debates throughout the year were nuanced and spirited, but most of all we were continuously in awe of the cornucopia presented to us. We are proud to showcase a longlist of fourteen outstanding titles that are sweeping in scope, touch all corners of life, and which provide pleasure and stimulation as well as urgency and depth. To the nominated authors, it is our delight and honour to say: Congratulations, and thank you.

"The jury read nearly 140 books this year to create an expansive longlist with exceptional narrative energy and range. They met the challenge with verve, precision, humour, and determination. The list shows yet again that Canadian fiction writers are punching well above their weight class."
           -Elana Rabinovitch, Executive Director, Scotiabank Giller Prize

"Congratulations to the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlisted authors. Canadian literature continues to thrive and stand out across the globe. As part of our long history of celebrating the arts, Scotiabank is proud to support the immense talent of Canadian literary artists. These 14 authors are an inspiring group that showcase a wide array of perspectives and experiences of Canadians from coast to coast to coast."
             -Laura Curtis Ferrera, Chief Marketing Officer, Scotiabank

The Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist will be announced on Tuesday, September 27 at 11:00 a.m. ET on www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/live and the Scotiabank Giller Prize Facebook page.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize is delighted to present the Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalists series of readings featuring this year's shortlisted authors, taking place in:

• Ottawa – October 12
• Vancouver – October 17
• Calgary – October 19
• Winnipeg – October 25
• Halifax – October 27
• Toronto – November 3

All venues are wheelchair accessible. For more information, please visit: www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/news-events/events-and-important-dates/

Watch the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize on Monday, November 7 at 9 p.m. ET on CBC TV and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with a livestream also available on cbcbooks.ca/gillerprize. Listeners can tune into a broadcast special on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen.  

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 4-fold. The Scotiabank Giller Prize now awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic 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.

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Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible.ca content includes more than 750,000 audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals. Audible has millions of members around the world who subscribe to one of 11 localized services designed for customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the US. Audible members download nearly 4 billion hours of content annually and listen across a wide range of supported devices.

SOURCE Scotiabank