Giller short list released

Canadian Press
October 3, 2006

authors Rawi Hage, Vincent Lam, Pascale Quiviger, Gaetan Soucy and Carol Windley are going for the Giller.

The short list for the glitzy book prize was announced this morning at a downtown hotel.

Rawi Hage was recognized for his debut novel, De Niro’s Game, which tells the story of two friends coping with the civil war in Beirut, Lebanon. Toronto doctor Vincent Lam got a nod for his collection of short stories, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, about a group of young physicians.

Pascale Quiviger is in the running for The Perfect Circle, about a woman who pursues a mysterious older man. The book, written in French, was translated into English. Gaetan Soucyvwas short listed for The Immaculate Conception, a novel set in a working-class Montreal neighbourhood in the 1920s. Carol Windley is in the running for her collection of short stories called Home Schooling.

The prize — now officially called the Scotiabank Giller — was created in 1994 by businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife.

Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson and authors Alice Munro and Michael Winter make up the jury for this year's prize.

The winner, to be announced at a gala awards ceremony Nov. 7, will receive $40,000.

© Canadian Press 2006