> Novel makes cut for Giller Prize
Novel makes cut for Giller Prize
Contact:
David Chariandy, 778.782. 5438 chariand@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
David Chariandy, 778.782. 5438 chariand@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
September 18, 2007
David Chariandy, an assistant professor of English at SFU, is in the running for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. His first novel Soucouyant, is among 15 novels chosen from a record 108 books for a shot at the prize.
Chariandy teaches Canadian and postcolonial literature at SFU and is one of two Vancouver writers to make the jury’s selection list. The prize, which celebrates the best in Canadian fiction, is Canada’s richest literary award for fiction, with $40,000 for the winner and $2,500 given to four finalists.
Chariandy’s novel is titled after an evil spirit in Caribbean folklore which in his book, represents being haunted by a cultural past. The novel is set in Ontario and focuses on a Canadian-born son who abandons his Caribbean-born mother suffering from dementia.
Chariandy has published essays on Canadian writers and postcolonial concerns, and an upcoming anniversary issue of Callaloo, the international journal of the African Diaspora, will devote a special section to his creative and critical writings.
Chariandy is also a member of the ad hoc Writer-in-Residence Committee, a co-founder of Commodore Books, and an active writer of fiction.
The shortlist will be announced on Oct. 15, followed by the winner’s announcement on Nov. 6.
Chariandy teaches Canadian and postcolonial literature at SFU and is one of two Vancouver writers to make the jury’s selection list. The prize, which celebrates the best in Canadian fiction, is Canada’s richest literary award for fiction, with $40,000 for the winner and $2,500 given to four finalists.
Chariandy’s novel is titled after an evil spirit in Caribbean folklore which in his book, represents being haunted by a cultural past. The novel is set in Ontario and focuses on a Canadian-born son who abandons his Caribbean-born mother suffering from dementia.
Chariandy has published essays on Canadian writers and postcolonial concerns, and an upcoming anniversary issue of Callaloo, the international journal of the African Diaspora, will devote a special section to his creative and critical writings.
Chariandy is also a member of the ad hoc Writer-in-Residence Committee, a co-founder of Commodore Books, and an active writer of fiction.
The shortlist will be announced on Oct. 15, followed by the winner’s announcement on Nov. 6.