Omar El Akkad wins 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize
This year, the Prize celebrates its 28e birthday.
The remaining finalists, listed below, will each receive $ 10,000:
- Angelique Lalonde for his collection of stories Glorious exhausted beings, published by House of Anansi
- Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia for his novel The son of the house, published by Dundurn Press
- Jordan tannahill for his novel Listeners, published by HarperCollins Canada
- Miriam Toews for his novel A night of fighting, published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
The longlist, shortlist and 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner were selected by a distinguished five-member jury: Canadian authors Zalika Reid Benta (Jury President), Megan Gail Coles and Joshua WhiteheadMalaysian novelist Tash Aw and American author Joshua Ferris. The jury reduced the 132 works submitted to 12 to create the long list and on October 5, announced the shortlisted authors before picking tonight’s winner.
Of the winning book, the jury wrote:
Amid all the anger and confusion surrounding the global refugee crisis, At Omar El Akkad What Strange Paradise paints a portrait of displacement and belonging that is both inflexible and tender. By examining the confluence of war, migration, and a sense of establishment, it raises questions of indifference and helplessness and, ultimately, offers clues as to how we might reach out with empathy. in a divided world.
Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist. His first novel, american war, was an international bestseller and has been translated into thirteen languages. He won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, the Oregon Book Award for Fiction, and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Tune in to CBC Radio’s q show tomorrow at 10 a.m.ET for an interview with Omar El Akkad and relive the gala on CBCBooks.ca.
Ask the author your questions about his book during a live Twitter chat hosted by @GillerPrize to Wednesday November 10, To 2 p.m. ET using the hashtag #GillerWinner.
Images from tonight’s gala will be available on the Media Resources page at www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca
Estimate
“It’s just exciting to be here tonight to celebrate all of the finalists and honor Omar El Akkad on his victory for What a strange paradise. The book is steadfast in its examination of our current refugee crisis and the efforts of people to find a home, safety and belonging. A brilliant book by a brilliant author to whom I wish continued success and continued recognition. “
– Elana Rabinovitch, Managing Director, Scotiabank Giller Prize
“Congratulation to Omar El Akkad for winning the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize! Scotiabank is unwavering in its commitment to the arts in Canada, and we are proud to present from Canada incredible literary talent thanks to the Scotiabank Giller Prize. We are delighted that this partnership, which began in 2005, has helped raise the profile of Canadian authors at home and around the world. Welcome to the Scotiabank Giller Prize family, Omar. Thank you to all of the shortlisted and shortlisted authors for inspiring and enriching us with your stories. “
– Jean Doig, Executive Vice-President, Retail Sales, Scotiabank
PARTNERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS:
The Scotiabank Giller Prize winner will be honored with a virtual interview at the 2022 San Miguel Online Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival, on February 13, 2022. This is the second year that the Literary Festival has been put online, with great success. Other notable interviews included both Tom hanks and Matthew McConaughey, in the same way Marguerite Atwood, Isabelle Allende, Isabelle Wilkerson, Emma Donahue, and much more.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize winner will have the opportunity to explore, expand and develop his practice during a two-week self-directed residency at the exclusive artist studios of Leighton at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity. Located in Treaty 7 territory in Banff National Park, Banff Center East from Canada the largest postgraduate arts and leadership institute (banffcentre.ca).
About the award
The Giller Prize, founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, highlights the best of Canadian fiction year after year. In 2005, the Prize teamed up with Scotiabank, which quadrupled the winnings. The Scotiabank Giller Prize now awards $ 100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story published in English, and $ 10,000 to each of the finalists. The award is named in honor of the late literary journalist Doris Giller by her husband, a Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch, died in august 2017.
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our goal of “for every future”, we help our clients, their families and their communities succeed through a wide range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, investment and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $ 1.2 trillion (as of July 31, 2021), Scotiabank is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.
About CBC / Radio-Canada
CBC / Radio-Canada is from Canada national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As from Canada A trusted source of information, we offer a unique Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and global affairs. Our uniquely local 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, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as in both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Audible, Inc.
Audible, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), is a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, providing customers with a new way to enhance and enrich their daily life. Audible.ca content includes over 630,000 audiobooks, podcasts and audible originals. Audible has millions of members worldwide who subscribe to any of 11 localized services designed for customers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Audible members download almost 4 billion hours of content per year and listen on a wide range of supported devices.
About Indigo
Indigo is a Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (IDG). Indigo is the leading book and lifestyle retailer in Canada, offering an assortment of books, gifts, baby, children’s, wellness and lifestyle products, which accompany their customers every day and through the stages. keys to life by simplifying their journey to live with intention. Indigo believes in real books, in living life fully and generously, in being kind to each other and that stories – big and small – connect us. For more information on Indigo, visit indigo.ca.
SOURCE Scotiabank
For further information: For media inquiries only: Daphna Rabinovitch, Scotiabank Giller Prize, [email protected], Phone. : 416-525-3752; Doug Johnson, Scotiabank, [email protected]
Related links
www.scotia.ca