Anne Michaels has won the 2024 Giller Prize for her novel Held.┬а
The $100,000 prize is the richest in Canadian literature.
Based in Toronto,┬аMichaels is a poet and author who has previously won major literary awards including┬аthe Orange Prize for Fiction, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Trillium Book Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Before taking home this year’s prize, she was┬аshortlisted for the Giller Prize twice: in┬а1996 for┬аFugitive Pieces┬аand in 2009 for┬аThe Winter Vault.┬а
In her acceptance speech, she said that her writing is a way of bearing witness “against war, indifference,┬аagainst amnesia of every sort.”
“When writer and reader meet each other’s gaze on the page, there’s the possibility that something can be mended. Literature situates us morally. It recognizes the crucial distinction between what is impossible and what is futile.”
“Everything I write is against futility. There’s no moral righteousness. There is only morality. A book, especially this book, is nothing if it does not listen. Every book bears witness, every book its own form of resistance and assertion.”
“I’m here tonight in solidarity with that purpose, in solidarity with the longlisted and shortlisted writers and every writer inside and outside this room.”
WATCH | The 2024 Giller Prize gala:┬а
A fragmented historical novel┬аabout enduring love
Weaving in historical figures and events, the mysterious, generations-spanning novel Held begins on a First World War battlefield near the River Aisne in 1917, where John lies in the falling snow, unable to move or feel his legs. It jumps in time and place to explore a fragmented picture of war and those who feel its reverberations.
“The narrative dips in and out of various places and times, and in many ways is trying to express all the ways that love continues its work past the span of a single life,” said Michaels┬аin an interview with┬аQ‘s Tom Power.
The narrative dips in and out of various places and times, and in many ways is trying to express all the ways that love continues its work past the span of a single life.–┬аAnne Michaels
“We’re used to thinking about history as actions and events, but it’s also the story of our inner lives, the force of our inner lives, what we believe in, what we aspire to, what our values are. And I wanted to really bring us to present moments in relationship to history that have to do with the power of that inner life.”
Held┬аwas┬аalso┬аshortlisted┬аfor the 2024 Booker Prize.┬а
30:51Anne Michaels: Held, how she knows sheтАЩs finished writing a book, and the unexpected reason sheтАЩs so private
Anne Michaels is an award-winning Canadian poet and novelist who just published her long-awaited third novel, тАЬHeld.тАЭ The story spans 115 years and deals in themes familiar to her work: history, grief and the power of love. Anne tells Tom why it took nearly 15 years to write the novel, why sheтАЩs so interested in writing about war, and why she chooses to live an intensely private life.
The remaining finalists are┬а├Йric Chacour┬аfor What I Know About You,┬аtranslated by┬аPablo Strauss, Anne Fleming for Curiosities, Conor Kerr for┬аPrairie Edge┬аand Deepa Rajagopalan for┬аPeacocks of Instagram.┬аThey will each receive $10,000.
The shortlisted books are available in accessible formats through the┬аNational Network for Equitable Library Services┬аand the┬аCentre for Equitable Library Access.┬а
Publishers submitted over 100 titles for consideration, which was narrowed down to a┬а12-title longlist┬аbefore the reveal of the five-book shortlist.
The jury was┬аchaired by author and producer Noah Richler and included writer and professor Kevin Chong and singer-songwriter Molly Johnson. When the┬аjury was announced in January, it also included international jurors Dinaw Mengestu and Megha Majumdar, who have since┬аstepped down.
“Anne Michaels’┬аHeld┬аis a novel that floats, a beguiling association of memories, projections, and haunted instances through which the very notion of our mortality, of our resilience and desires, is interrogated in passages as impactful as they can be hypnotic,” said the jury in a press statement.
“Michaels’ mastery of word and situations is understated but insistent, an altogether successful reliance that deflects attention from its author and embeds the reader in the resoundingly mysterious and ephemeral. Here is a novel in which we are willingly held.”
This year’s televised in-person gala in Toronto was hosted by writers Ian┬аWilliams and Mark Sakamoto, journalist┬аJohanna┬аSchneller and singer Measha┬аBrueggergosman-Lee.тАЛтАЛтАЛтАЛтАЛтАЛ
Pushback from some authors
In July, more than 20 authors pulled their books from consideration for the prize, which is sponsored by Scotiabank, to┬аprotest the bank’s investment in Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence contractor. By the time of the short list announcement, approximately 45 authors had signed a┬аletter┬аdemanding the Giller Foundation pressure Scotiabank to fully divest from Elbit Systems.┬а
Scotiabank┬аhad reduced┬аits┬аholdings in┬аElbit┬аSystems by more than two-thirds as of Aug. 14,┬аaccording to┬аthe Canadian Press.
As of Nov. 18,┬аa fresh call from CanLit Responds┬аfor the Giller Prize to divest from Scotiabank has received more than 300 signatories, all of whom pledged to abstain from submitting works to the prize or participating in any events related to it until demands are met.
A protest formed at the entrance to the Park Hyatt Hotel as guests arrived to this year’s gala in downtown Toronto.┬а
The Giller organizers have removed Scotiabank’s name from the prize. It still remains the prize’s lead sponsor.
“Scotiabank continues to be the lead sponsor of the Giller Prize and we remain grateful for their support,” said Giller Prize┬аexecutive┬аdirector Elana Rabinovitch,┬аin an email to┬аCBC Books┬аwhen the longlist was announced. “The decision to remove their name was made so that the focus would be on these exceptional authors and their achievements,┬аand to give the stage to Canada’s best storytellers of today and tomorrow.”
“Ultimately, more than ever, we want to ensure the prize stays true to its purpose: to celebrate the best in Canadian fiction and to give the stage to Canada’s best storytellers. For us, that means ensuring the focus remains solely on the Prize and the art itself.”
Scotiabank confirmed they are continuing to sponsor the Giller Foundation and the 2024 Giller Prize via email.
Last year’s winner was┬аSarah Bernstein,┬аfor her novel┬аStudy for Obedience. Bernstein┬аsigned the┬аletter┬аcalling for the prize to cut ties with Scotiabank.┬аOmar El Akkad, who won the prize in 2021,┬аalso signed it.┬а
Other past Giller Prize winners include┬аSuzette Mayr┬аfor┬аThe Sleeping Car Porter;┬аSouvankham Thammavongsa┬аfor┬аHow to Pronounce Knife;┬аEsi Edugyan┬аfor┬аWashington Black;┬аMichael Redhill┬аfor┬аBellevue Square;┬аMargaret Atwood┬аfor┬аAlias Grace;┬аMordecai Richler┬аfor┬аBarney’s Version;┬аAndr├й Alexis┬аfor┬аFifteen Dogs;┬аand┬аMadeleine Thien┬аfor┬аDo Not Say We Have Nothing.
With files from The Canadian Press
