The Giller Prize Presents its 2024 Longlist

September 4, 2024

2024 Giller Prize longlist

September 4, 2024 (Toronto, Ontario) – Twelve outstanding Canadian authors have been named to the 2024 Giller Prize longlist. The 12 titles were chosen from a field of more than 100 books submitted by publishers across Canada.

The longlist for the 2024 Giller Prize is:

  • Caroline Adderson for her short story collection A Way to Be Happy, published by Biblioasis
  • Shashi Bhat for her short story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts, published by McClelland & Stewart
  • Éric Chacour for his novel What I Know About You (translated by Pablo Strauss), published by Coach House Books
  • Corinna Chong for her novel Bad Land, published by Arsenal Pulp Press
  • Anne Fleming for her novel Curiosities, published by Knopf Canada
  • Conor Kerr for his novel Prairie Edge, published by Strange Light
  • Claire Messud for her novel This Strange Eventful History, published by W. W. Norton
  • Anne Michaels for her novel Held, published by McClelland & Stewart
  • Loghan Paylor for their novel The Cure for Drowning, published by Random House Canada
  • Deepa Rajagopalan for her short story collection Peacocks of Instagram, published by House of Anansi Press
  • Jane Urquhart for her novel In Winter I Get Up at Night, published by McClelland & Stewart
  • katherena vermette for her novel real ones, published by Hamish Hamilton

Once again, the longlist was selected by an esteemed jury panel. Rakuten Kobo provided the jury with Libra 2 eReaders to support them on their reading journey.

Of the longlist, the jury wrote:

“Writers of fiction imagine, as a matter of course, what it means to be another: to be marginalized, to be suppressed, to be guilty—to be joyful!—or simply not seen. Their words sing lives, extol our virtues, nurse our injuries, expose our faults, and compel us to consider worlds about which we are curious and unknowing or had no idea existed. It is the profound belief in our common humanity writers share that makes this possible, a conviction never more important than in fractious times such as we are living today, and brilliantly on display in the concerns and stories of these twelve exceptional Canadian authors. The worlds they thrillingly put within readers’ reach scan centuries, cultures, divides; they are sometimes beautiful and sometimes traumatic, but always richly conveyed and ardently felt.”

“Congratulations to all the authors on this year’s list. These books deserve to be read and read widely. The 2024 jury was especially diligent in selecting this year’s longlist as they received a substantial number of entries. They made their decisions after reviewing more than 100 books. The list includes three short story collections, a debut novel and a work in translation. All of the books reflect the beauty, the agony, and the depth and breadth of human experience. This list represents the very best of Canadian fiction for 2024.”
-Elana Rabinovitch, Executive Director, Giller Prize

The Giller Prize shortlist will be announced on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Watch the 2024 Giller Prize broadcast on Monday, November 18, at 9 p.m. (11:30 p.m. AT, 12 a.m. NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem, with a livestream also available at 9 p.m. ET on CBC’s YouTube channel. Listeners can tune into a broadcast special on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen.

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This year, the Giller Foundation partnered with Mantella Corporation to create the Giller Mantella Scholarship. This scholarship awards $10,000 to three Black, Indigenous, or racialized students across Canada graduating high school and interested in continued education in creative writing and literature. The program will run for a total of three years with the potential to be extended. Applications for 2025 will open in March.

The Giller Foundation continues its partnership with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The Banff Centre will provide a two-week writer’s residency in the Leighton Artist Studios in the Town of Banff, Alberta, to the 2024 Giller Prize winner. This residency includes the use of a private studio, access to Banff Centre facilities including the Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, and access to Banff Centre talks, events, and performances taking place during the residency.

About the Prize
Founded by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994, the Giller Prize is Canada’s leading and most influential literary prize for fiction. The Giller Effect has been recognized industry-wide as one of the top drivers of book sales in Canada. The Giller Prize 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 Jack Rabinovitch’s wife, the late literary journalist, Doris Giller. The Giller Prize is sponsored by Scotiabank, CBC Books, Mantella Corporation, Indigo, and the Azrieli Foundation.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank’s vision is to be our clients’ most trusted financial partner, to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and maximize total shareholder return. Guided by our purpose: “for every future,” we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success 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 assets of approximately $1.4 trillion (as at July 31, 2024), 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 X @Scotiabank.

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, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, 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.

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for book lovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives.

About Mantella Corporation
Mantella Corporation was established in 1946 and remains one of the largest Canadian privately held family-owned real estate and land development companies. Mantella Corporation manages a prestigious portfolio of commercial and industrial buildings, as well as prime development properties in Ontario. We focus on community, supporting over 30 diverse charitable organizations aiding children, hospitals, youth underserved communities, education, conservation of wildlife and more. We are committed to giving back through significant dedicated volunteer efforts, donations, sponsorships and grants.

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential.

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Media Inquiries:

Elana Rabinovitch
Giller Prize
elana@gillerprize.ca
T: 416-275-5418