GG literary-award finalists include Montreal’s Kathleen Winter, Dany Laferrière

In addition to dominating the French-language categories, Montrealers also make a strong showing on the English-language side, in this year’s nominees for the Governor General’s Literary Award, announced Wednesday.

Among the Montrealers: Dany Laferriere for L’enigme du retour, competing against Quebec’s Kim Thuy for Ru in the French-language fiction category.

Also, Montrealer Kathleen Winter and her novel Annabel are competing for the English-language fiction prize against London, Ont.’s Emma Donoghue and her Room, as well as Regina’s Sandra Birdsell (Waiting for Joe), Dianne Warren (Cool Water) and Ontario’s Drew Hayden Taylor (Motorcycles & Sweetgrass).

In English-language poetry, Westmount’s Michael Harris is in the race with his book Circus.

In Winter’s case, she is three for three. Her GG-nod for Annabel makes her the sole Canadian writer to be nominated for all "Big Three" literary awards. Earlier this month, she was shortlisted for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

"I’ve been floating around in a state of unreality for awhile," said Winter, on the phone from her Montreal home. She was on the computer, helping her daughter book a dentist appointment, when she received an e-mail from her publicist at House of Anansi telling her of the nomination. "Anything, even the most singular thing, can happen once in this world. And then for it to happen twice, that’s when that surreal feeling began for me, and now" – she pauses for a few seconds – "it’s hard to describe.

"I really enjoy the fact that this is going to bring my work more readers," she added. "That’s what every writer longs for. That’s what every writer dreams about."

Last year, Annabel Lyon achieved the same triple-nomination feat with her novel The Golden Mean; she ended up only winning the Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

All finalists receive $1,000 and each category winner receives $25,000, as well as $3,000 for their publishers to help promote their work.

Winners in all English and French categories will be announced Nov. 16 in Montreal, and will be presented in Ottawa at Rideau Hall on Nov. 25.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Fiction

Kathleen Winter, Montreal, Annabel (House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Sandra Birdsell, Regina, Waiting for Joe (Random House Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Emma Donoghue, London (Ontario), Room (HarperCollins Publishers; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Drew Hayden Taylor, Curve Lake (Ontario), Motorcycles & Sweetgrass (Alfred A. Knopf Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Dianne Warren, Regina, Cool Water (Phyllis Bruce Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Poetry

Michael Harris, Westmount (Quebec), Circus (Signal Editions, an imprint of Véhicule

Richard Greene, Cobourg (Ontario), Boxing the Compass (Signal Editions, an imprint of Véhicule Press; distributed by LitDistCo)

Press; distributed by LitDistCo)

Daryl Hine, Chicago [originally from New Westminster, British Columbia], &: A Serial Poem (Fitzhenry & Whiteside; distributed by the publisher)

Sandy Pool, Toronto, Exploding into Night (Guernica Editions; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

Melanie Siebert, Victoria, Deepwater Vee (McClelland & Stewart; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Drama

Robert Chafe, St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador), Afterimage (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, Toronto, Scratch (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

Michael Healey, Toronto, Courageous (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

Judith Thompson, Toronto, Such Creatures (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

David Yee, Toronto, lady in the red dress (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

Non-fiction

Elizabeth Abbott, Toronto, A History of Marriage (Penguin Group (Canada); distributed by the publisher)

Ian Brown, Toronto, The Boy in the Moon: A Father’s Search for His Disabled Son (Random House Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Allan Casey, Saskatoon, Lakeland: Journeys into the Soul of Canada (Greystone Books, an imprint of D&M Publishers; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Karen Connelly, Toronto, Burmese Lessons: A Love Story (Random House Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

John English, Kitchener (Ontario), Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000 (Alfred A. Knopf Canada; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Children’s Literature – Text

K.L. Denman, Powell River (British Columbia), Me, Myself and Ike (Orca Book Publishers; distributed by the publisher)

Lesley Fairfield, Toronto, Tyranny (Tundra Books; distributed by Random House of Canada)

Gina McMurchy-Barber, Surrey (British Columbia), Free as a Bird (Dundurn Press; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

Wendy Phillips, Richmond (British Columbia), Fishtailing (Coteau Books; distributed by Publishers Group of Canada)

Cheryl Rainfield, Toronto, Scars (WestSide Books; distributed by Chapters / Indigo)

Children’s Literature – Illustration

Kristi Bridgeman, Victoria, Uirapurú: based on a Brazilian legend, text by P. K. Page (Oolichan Books; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

Julie Flett, Vancouver, Owls See Clearly at Night: a Michif alphabet / Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer: l’alfabet di Michif, text by Julie Flett (Simply Read Books; distributed by Publishers Group Canada)

Matt James, Toronto, I Know Here, text by Laurel Croza (Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

Jon Klassen, Los Angeles [originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario], Cat’s Night Out, text by Caroline Stutson (Simon & Schuster / A Paula Wiseman Book; distributed by

Simon & Schuster Canada)

Renata Liwska, Calgary, The Quiet Book, text by Deborah Underwood (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; distributed by Thomas Allen & Son)

Translation – French to English

Sheila Fischman, Montreal, The Blue Notebook (Talonbooks; distributed by Publishers Group Canada)

English translation of Le cahier bleu by Michel Tremblay (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud)

Sheila Fischman, Montreal, On the Proper Use of Stars (McClelland & Stewart; distributed by Random House)

English translation of Du bon usage des étoiles by Dominique Fortier (Éditions Alto)

Linda Gaboriau, Montreal, Forests (Playwrights Canada Press; distributed by the publisher)

English translation of Forêts by Wajdi Mouawad (Leméac Éditeur / Actes Sud)

Liedewy Hawke, Toronto, High-Wire Summer (Cormorant Books; distributed by University of Toronto Press)

English translation of L’été funambule by Louise Dupré (XYZ éditeur)

Lazer Lederhendler, Montreal, The Breakwater House (House of Anansi Press; distributed by HarperCollins Canada)

English translation of La maison des temps rompus by Pascale Quiviger (Les Éditions du Boréal)

French-language finalists

Fiction

Marie-Claire Blais, Key West (Florida) [originally from Quebec City], Mai au bal des prédateurs (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Martine Desjardins, Town of Mount Royal (Quebec), Maleficium (Éditions Alto; distributed by Socadis)

Agnès Gruda, Montreal, Onze petites trahisons (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Dany Laferrière, Montreal, L’énigme du retour (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Kim Thúy, Longueuil (Quebec), Ru (Éditions Libre Expression, Groupe Librex; distributed by Messageries ADP)

Poetry

Francis Catalano, Montreal, qu’une lueur des lieux (L’Hexagone; distributed by Messageries ADP)

Marie-Josée Charest, Maria (Quebec), Rien que la guerre, c’est tout (Les Herbes rouges; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Carole David, Montreal, Manuel de poétique à l’intention des jeunes filles (Les Herbes rouges; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Danielle Fournier, Montreal, effleurés de lumière (L’Hexagone; distributed by Messageries ADP)

Pierre Nepveu, Montreal, Les verbes majeurs (Éditions du Noroît; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Drama

Geneviève Billette, Montreal, Les ours dorment enfin (Lansman Éditeur; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Evelyne de la Chenelière, Montreal, L’imposture (Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)

Emma Haché, Montreal, Trafiquée (Lansman Éditeur; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

David Paquet, Montreal, Porc-épic (Dramaturges Éditeurs; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Gilles Poulin-Denis, Montreal, Rearview (Dramaturges Éditeurs; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Non-fiction

René-Daniel Dubois, Montreal, Morceaux : entretiens sur l’écho du monde, l’imaginaire et l’écriture (Juillet 2005- janvier 2006) (Leméac Éditeur; distributed by Socadis)

Michel Lavoie, Saint-Raphaël (Quebec), C’est ma seigneurie que je réclame : la lutte des Hurons de Lorette pour la seigneurie de Sillery, 1650-1900 (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Marie Mc Andrew, Montreal, Les majorités fragiles et l’éducation : Belgique, Catalogne, Irlande du Nord, Québec (Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal; distributed by Socadis)

Pierre Ouellet, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Quebec), Où suis-je ? Paroles des égarés (VLB éditeur; distributed by Messageries ADP)

Yvon Rivard, Montreal, Une idée simple (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Children’s Literature – Text

Michel Noël, Saint-Damien-de-Brandon, Quebec, Nishka (Les Éditions Hurtubise; distributed by Distribution HMH)

Patrice Robitaille, Montreal, Le chenil (Les Éditions L’Interligne; distributed by Prologue)

Yves Steinmetz, Saint-Césaire (Quebec), La chamane de Bois-Rouge (Éditions Pierre Tisseyre; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)

Alain Ulysse Tremblay, Montreal, Le dernier été (Soulières éditeur; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)

Élise Turcotte, Montreal, Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie (Les éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)

Children’s Literature – Illustration

Josée Bisaillon, Montreal, Le funambule, text by Marie-Danielle Croteau (Les Éditions Les 400 coups; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Virginie Egger, Montreal, Le journal secret de Lulu Papino – Mon premier amour, text by Lucie Papineau (Dominique et compagnie, a division of Éditions Héritage; distributed by Messageries ADP)

Manon Gauthier, Montreal, Triste sort ou l’hurluberlu de Morneville, text by Jean-Pierre Davidts (Les Éditions Les 400 coups; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

Melinda Josie, Toronto, Le géranium, text by Mélanie Tellier (Marchand de feuilles; distributed by Hachette/Socadis)

Daniel Sylvestre, Montreal, Rose : derrière le rideau de la folie, text by Élise Turcotte (Les Éditions de la courte échelle; distributed by Diffusion du livre Mirabel)

Translation – English to French

Geneviève Letarte, Montreal, and Alison L. Strayer, Paris (France) [originally from Canada], Rencontres fortuites (Les Allusifs; distributed by Gallimard/Socadis)

French translation of A Fairly Good Time by Mavis Gallant (Random House of Canada)

Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Montreal, Sale argent : petit traité d’économie à l’intention des détracteurs du capitalisme (Éditions Logiques, Groupe Librex; distributed by Messageries ADP)

French translation of Filthy Lucre: Economics for People Who Hate Capitalism by Joseph Heath (HarperCollins Publishers)

Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Montreal, Les Troutman volants (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

French translation of The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, a division of Random House of Canada)

Claudine Vivier, Saint-André-Avellin (Quebec), L’exode des loups (Les Éditions du Boréal; distributed by Diffusion Dimedia)

French translation of Wolf Rider by Sharon Stewart (Scholastic Canada)

Sophie Voillot, Montreal, Le cafard (Éditions Alto; distributed by Socadis)

French translation of Cockroach by Rawi Hage (House of Anansi Press)