Quebec Writers' Federation Awards
Encyclopedia
The Quebec Writers' Federation Awards are a series of Canadian
literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English
by writers from Quebec
.
An annual community award is also presented to a person who has played a significant role in building and supporting Quebec's anglophone writing community.
The awards have been presented annually since 1988.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
literary awards, presented annually by the Quebec Writers' Federation to the best works of literature in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by writers from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Categories
They are currently presented in seven literary categories:- Paragraphe Hugh MacLennanHugh MacLennanJohn Hugh MacLennan, CC, CQ was a Canadian author and professor of English at McGill University. He won five Governor General's Awards and a Royal Bank Award.-Family and childhood:...
Prize for Fiction, - Mavis GallantMavis GallantMavis Leslie Gallant, , née Mavis Leslie Young is a Canadian writer.-Biography:An only child, Gallant was born in Montreal, Quebec. Her father died when she was young, and her mother remarried. Gallant received her education at seventeen different public, convent, and French-language boarding...
Prize for Non-Fiction - A. M. KleinA. M. KleinAbraham Moses Klein was a Canadian poet, journalist, novelist, short story writer, and lawyer. He has been called "One of Canada's greatest poets and a leading figure in Jewish-Canadian culture."...
Prize for Poetry - QWF First Book Prize
- QWF Prize for Children's & Young Adult Literature
- Cole Foundation Prize for Translation (French and English, with target language alternating each year)
- 3Macs Carte Blanche Prize for the best work published in the QWF's online literary journal Carte Blanche.
An annual community award is also presented to a person who has played a significant role in building and supporting Quebec's anglophone writing community.
The awards have been presented annually since 1988.
1988
- Fiction: Hugh HoodHugh HoodHugh John Blagdon Hood, OC was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, essayist and university professor....
, The Motor Boys in Ottawa - Non-fiction: Witold RybczynskiWitold RybczynskiWitold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
, Home: A Short History of an Idea - Poetry: David SolwayDavid SolwayDavid Solway is a Canadian poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic of Jewish descent.He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature at John Abbott College...
, Modern Marriage
1989
- Fiction: Kenneth Radu, Distant Relations
- Non-fiction: Witold RybczynskiWitold RybczynskiWitold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
, The Most Beautiful House in the World - Poetry: D. G. JonesD. G. JonesDouglas Gordon Jones is a Canadian poet, translator and educator.Born in Bancroft, Ontario, Jones was educated at a private school in Quebec's Eastern Townships, at McGill University and at Queen's University. He received his M.A. from Queen's University in 1954. Jones then taught English...
, Balthazar and Other Poems
1990
- Fiction: Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
, Solomon Gursky Was HereSolomon Gursky Was HereSolomon Gursky Was Here is a novel by Canadian author Mordecai Richler first published by Viking Canada in 1989.-Summary:The novel tells of several generations of the fictional Gursky family, who are connected to several disparate events in the history of Canada, including the Franklin Expedition... - Non-fiction: David SolwayDavid SolwayDavid Solway is a Canadian poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic of Jewish descent.He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature at John Abbott College...
, Education Lost: Reflections on Contemporary Pedogogical Practice - Poetry: Erin MouréErin MouréErin Mouré is a Canadian poet and translator of poetry from languages which include, French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish to English. Her mother Mary Irene was born 1924 in Galicia, Poland and moved to Canada in 1929. Erin’s father is William Moure born in Ottawa Canada in 1925...
, WSW (West South West) and Bruce Taylor, Cold Rubber Feet
1991
- Fiction: Kenneth Radu, A Private Performance
- Non-fiction: Donald MacKayDonald MackayDonald Bruce Mackay was an Australian anti-drugs campaigner who came to fame in 1977 through the circumstances of his murder.Mackay was born in Griffith and raised in Sydney...
, Flight from Famine - Poetry: Eric OrmsbyEric OrmsbyEric Linn Ormsby, born in Atlanta in 1941, is a poet, a scholar, and a man of letters. He was a longtime resident of Montreal, where he was the Director of University Libraries and subsequently a professor of Islamic thought at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University...
, Bavarian Shrine and Other Poems
1992
- Fiction: Ray Smith, A Night at the Opera
- Non-fiction: Mary MeigsMary MeigsMary Meigs was an American-born painter and writer.-Early life:Meigs was born in Philadelphia and raised in Washington, DC. She studied at Bryn Mawr College, and subsequently taught English literature and creative writing at that school...
, In the Company of Strangers - Poetry: Naomi Guttman, Reasons for Winter
1993
- Fiction: P. Scott Lawrence, Missing Fred Astaire
- Non-fiction: Zhimei Zhang, Foxspirit: A Woman in Mao's China
- Poetry: Ralph GustafsonRalph GustafsonRalph Barker Gustafson, CM was a Canadian poet and professor at Bishop's University.- Biography :He was born in Lime Ridge, near Dudswell, Quebec on August 16, 1909. His mother was British, his father Swedish. He was educated at Bishop's University, earning a B.A...
, Configurations at Midnight
1994
- Fiction: Ann DiamondAnn DiamondAnn Diamond is a Canadian poet, short story writer and novelist.-Short Stories:* "Snakebite" * "Evil Eye" -See also:*List of Canadian poets*Geist...
, Evil Eye - Non-fiction: Laura S. Groening, E.K. Brown: A Study in Conflict
- Poetry: Julie Bruck, The Woman Downstairs and Raymond Filip, Flowers in Magnetic Fields
1995
- Fiction: George Szanto, Friends & Marriages
- Non-fiction: Charles ForanCharles ForanCharles Foran is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer living in Peterborough, Ontario.-Biography:Foran was born in August 1960 in Toronto to a Franco-Ontarian mother and a father from an Ottawa Irish family. He attended Catholic elementary school and Brebeuf College School, a Jesuit high...
, The Last House of Ulster: A Family in Belfast - Poetry: D. G. JonesD. G. JonesDouglas Gordon Jones is a Canadian poet, translator and educator.Born in Bancroft, Ontario, Jones was educated at a private school in Quebec's Eastern Townships, at McGill University and at Queen's University. He received his M.A. from Queen's University in 1954. Jones then taught English...
, The Floating Garden - Community: Judith MappinJudith MappinJudith Mappin BSc is a Canadian bookseller and philanthropist.She was born in Toronto and remained there during her youth. She studied at McGill University in Montreal, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950. She has continued to live in Montreal with her husband John N...
1996
- Fiction: Trevor FergusonTrevor FergusonTrevor Ferguson , a.k.a John Farrow, is a Canadian novelist who lives in Hudson, Quebec. He is the author of nine novels and four plays. He has been called Canada's best novelist both in Books in Canada and the Toronto Star....
, The Time Keeper - Non-fiction: T. F. Rigelhof, A Blue Boy in a Black Dress: A Memoir
- Poetry: Anne CarsonAnne CarsonAnne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and professor of Classics. Carson lived in Montreal for several years and taught at McGill University, the University of Michigan, and at Princeton University from 1980-1987....
, Glass, Irony and God - First Book: Blema Steinberg, Shame and Humiliation: Presidential Decision Making on Vietnam
- Community: Bryan Demchinsky
1997
- Fiction: Charles ForanCharles ForanCharles Foran is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer living in Peterborough, Ontario.-Biography:Foran was born in August 1960 in Toronto to a Franco-Ontarian mother and a father from an Ottawa Irish family. He attended Catholic elementary school and Brebeuf College School, a Jesuit high...
, Butterfly Lovers - Non-fiction: William WeintraubWilliam WeintraubWilliam Weintraub, OC is a Canadian journalist, author, filmmaker and lecturer, best known for his long association with Canada's National Film Board ....
, City Unique: Montreal Days and Nights in the 40s and 50s - Poetry: Ralph GustafsonRalph GustafsonRalph Barker Gustafson, CM was a Canadian poet and professor at Bishop's University.- Biography :He was born in Lime Ridge, near Dudswell, Quebec on August 16, 1909. His mother was British, his father Swedish. He was educated at Bishop's University, earning a B.A...
, Visions Fugitive - First Book: Irene Burstyn, Picking Up Pearls
- Community: Shelley Pomerance
1998
- Fiction: Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
, Barney's Version - Non-fiction: David ManicomDavid ManicomDavid Alton Manicom is a Canadian diplomat, poet and novelist.Manicom was born in Ingersoll, Ontario and lived there until he attended the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal. He has also lived in Aylmer, Quebec, Moscow, Islamabad, Beijing, Geneva, and New Delhi...
, Progeny of Ghosts: Travels in Russia and the Old Empire - Poetry: Anne CarsonAnne CarsonAnne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and professor of Classics. Carson lived in Montreal for several years and taught at McGill University, the University of Michigan, and at Princeton University from 1980-1987....
, Autobiography of RedAutobiography of RedAutobiography of Red is a verse novel by Anne Carson, based loosely on the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles, especially on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem Geryoneis.... - First Book: Matthew Friedman, Fuzzy Logic: Dispatches from the Information Revolution
- Translation: Hélène Rioux, Self (Yann MartelYann MartelYann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi.-Early life:Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain where his father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada...
) - Community: Simon Dardick and Nancy Marrelli
1999
- Fiction: Elyse GascoElyse GascoElyse Gasco, MA is a Canadian fiction writer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gasco studied Creative Writing first at Concordia University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988, then at New York University to earn a Master of Arts degree....
, Can You Wave Bye-Bye, Baby? - Non-fiction: Elaine Kalman Naves, Putting Down Roots
- Poetry: Bruce Taylor, Facts
- First Book: Elyse Gasco, Can You Wave Bye-Bye, Baby?
- Translation: Sheila FischmanSheila FischmanSheila Leah Fischman, CM is a Canadian translator who specializes in the translation of works of contemporary Quebec literature....
, These Festive Nights (Marie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire Blais, is a Canadian author and playwright.- Life :Born in Quebec City, Quebec, she was educated at a convent school and at Université Laval. It was at Laval that she met Jeanne Lapointe and Father Georges Lévesque, who encouraged her to write and, in 1959, to publish her first...
) - Community: Mireille Goulet
2000
- Fiction: Julie Keith, The Devil Out There
- Non-fiction: Taras GrescoeTaras GrescoeTaras Grescoe is a Canadian non-fiction writer, who won the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize in 2008 for his book Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood...
, Sacré Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec - Poetry: Rachel RoseRachel RoseRachel Rose is a Canadian/American poet, essayist and short story writer. She has published two collections of poetry, Giving My Body to Science and Notes on Arrival and Departure...
, Giving My Body to Science - First Book: Taras Grescoe, Sacré Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec
- Translation: Claire Dé, Montréal barbare (Robert MajzelsRobert MajzelsRobert Majzels is a Canadian novelist, poet, playwright and translator.- Life :Majzels was born in Montreal. In 1986, he graduated with a Master's degree in English Literature from Concordia University in Montreal, where he would later teach creative writing for thirteen years. Between 2000 and...
) - Community: Patricia Pleszcynska
2001
- Fiction: Yann MartelYann MartelYann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi.-Early life:Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain where his father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada...
, Life of PiLife of PiLife of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age... - Non-fiction: Jack ToddJack ToddJack Todd is a sports columnist for the Montreal Gazette since 1986. Todd was an American citizen who deserted from the U.S. Army to avoid being sent to fight during the Vietnam War...
, A Taste of Metal: A Deserter's Story - Poetry: Anne CarsonAnne CarsonAnne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and professor of Classics. Carson lived in Montreal for several years and taught at McGill University, the University of Michigan, and at Princeton University from 1980-1987....
, The Beauty of the Husband - First Book: Jack Todd, A Taste of Metal: A Deserter's Story
- Translation: Phyllis Aronoff and Howard Scott, The Great Peace of Montreal of 1701: French-Native Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century (Gilles Havard)
- Community: Germain Lefebvre
2002
- Fiction: Neil BissoondathNeil BissoondathNeil Devindra Bissoondath is a Canadian author who lives in Ste-Foy, Quebec. He is a noted writer of fiction, and also an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multiculturalism. He is the nephew of authors V.S. Naipaul and Shiva Naipaul.-Biography:Bissoondath attended St. Mary's College in...
, Doing the Heart Good - Non-fiction: Henry T. Aubin, The Rescue of Jerusalem
- Poetry: Norm Sibum, Girls and Handsome Dogs
- First Book: Nalini Warriar, Blues from the Malabar Coast
- Translation: Pan BouyoucasPan BouyoucasPan Bouyoucas is a Greek-Canadian author, playwright and translator.-History:Bouyoucas was born to Greek parents and emigrated to Canada in 1963. After studies in architecture, in Montreal and New York City, he obtained a BFA at Concordia University, and worked a few years as a film critic...
, Dans l'ombre de Maggie (Sheila Arnopoulos) - Community: Linda Shohet
2003
- Fiction: David Homel, The Speaking Cure
- Non-fiction: Elaine Kalman Naves, Shoshanna's Story
- Poetry: Susan Gillis, Volta
- First Book: Neale McDevitt, One Day Even Trevi Will Crumble
- Translation: Fred A. ReedFred A. ReedFred A. Reed is a journalist and translator of literature who has published and translated several books.-Books:*Persian postcards: Iran after Khomemi. Talonbooks. 1994. ISBN 0889224439...
and David Homel, The Heart Is an Involuntary Muscle (Monique ProulxMonique ProulxMonique Proulx is a Canadian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter.-Works:*Sans cœur et sans reproche, *Le sexe des étoiles **The Sex of the Stars...
) - Community: Linda Leith
2004
- Fiction: Edeet RavelEdeet RavelEdeet Ravel is an Israeli-Canadian novelist born in Israel and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She currently lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.-Background:...
, Look for Me - Non-fiction: Joel YanofskyJoel YanofskyJoel Yanofsky is a Canadian novelist and literary columnist.Born in Montreal, Quebec, he grew up in the Laval suburb of Chomedey, where his parents had moved from the Montreal Jewish neighbourhood around St...
, Mordecai and Me: An Appreciation of a Kind - Poetry: Carmine StarninoCarmine StarninoCarmine Starnino is a Canadian poet, essayist, educator, and editor.He was born in Montreal, Quebec, into an Italian heritage. His first poetry collection The New World was nominated for the 1997 A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry and the 1997 Gerald Lampert Award...
, With English Subtitles - First Book: Jaspreet SinghJaspreet SinghJaspreet Singh is a Canadian writer.He grew up in India and moved to Canada in 1990. Singh is the author of the novel Chef , and Seventeen Tomatoes: Tales from Kashmir, a collection of linked stories. He is a former research scientist who holds a PhD in chemical engineering from McGill University...
, Seventeen Tomatoes: Tales from Kashmir - Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Un baume pour le cœur (Neil BissoondathNeil BissoondathNeil Devindra Bissoondath is a Canadian author who lives in Ste-Foy, Quebec. He is a noted writer of fiction, and also an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multiculturalism. He is the nephew of authors V.S. Naipaul and Shiva Naipaul.-Biography:Bissoondath attended St. Mary's College in...
) - Community: Margaret Goldik and Ian McGillis
2005
- Fiction: Neil BissoondathNeil BissoondathNeil Devindra Bissoondath is a Canadian author who lives in Ste-Foy, Quebec. He is a noted writer of fiction, and also an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multiculturalism. He is the nephew of authors V.S. Naipaul and Shiva Naipaul.-Biography:Bissoondath attended St. Mary's College in...
, The Unyielding Clamour of the Night - Non-fiction: Fred BruemmerFred BruemmerFred Bruemmer, CM is a Canadian nature photographer and researcher. He has spent his life travelling extensively throughout the circumpolar regions and to other remote parts of the globe. His works have been centered mostly on the Arctic, its people and its animals. He has also conducted...
, Survival: A Refugee Life - Poetry: Erin MouréErin MouréErin Mouré is a Canadian poet and translator of poetry from languages which include, French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish to English. Her mother Mary Irene was born 1924 in Galicia, Poland and moved to Canada in 1929. Erin’s father is William Moure born in Ottawa Canada in 1925...
, Little Theatres - First Book: Marci Denesiuk, The Far Away Home and Dimitri Nasrallah, Blackbodying
- Translation: Fred A. ReedFred A. ReedFred A. Reed is a journalist and translator of literature who has published and translated several books.-Books:*Persian postcards: Iran after Khomemi. Talonbooks. 1994. ISBN 0889224439...
, Truth or Death: The Quest for Immortality in the Western Narrative Tradition (Thierry Hentsch) - Community: Guy Rodgers
2006
- Fiction: Rawi HageRawi Hage-Early life and education:Born in Beirut, Hage grew up in Lebanon and Cyprus. He moved to New York City in 1984. In 1991, he relocated to Montreal, where he studied Photography at Dawson College and Fine Arts at Concordia University. He subsequently began exhibiting as a photographer, and has had...
, De Niro's GameDe Niro's GameDe Niro's Game is the debut novel by Lebanese-Canadian writer Rawi Hage, originally published in 2006.The novel's primary characters are Bassam and George, lifelong friends living in wartorn Beirut... - Non-fiction: Sherry Simon, Translating Montreal: Episodes in the Life of a Divided City
- Poetry: Susan Elmslie, I, Nadja and Other Poems
- First Book: Rawi Hage, De Niro's Game
- Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, La Clameur des ténèbres (Neil BissoondathNeil BissoondathNeil Devindra Bissoondath is a Canadian author who lives in Ste-Foy, Quebec. He is a noted writer of fiction, and also an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multiculturalism. He is the nephew of authors V.S. Naipaul and Shiva Naipaul.-Biography:Bissoondath attended St. Mary's College in...
) - Community: Julie Keith
2007
- Fiction: Heather O'NeillHeather O'NeillHeather O'Neill is a Canadian novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist. She was born in Montreal, but spent part of her childhood in the American South. She currently lives in Montreal....
, Lullabies for Little CriminalsLullabies for Little CriminalsLullabies for Little Criminals is a 2006 novel by Heather O'Neill.The book was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by musician John K. Samson... - Non-fiction: Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau, The Story of French
- Poetry: David SolwayDavid SolwayDavid Solway is a Canadian poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic of Jewish descent.He is a member of the Jubilate Circle and formerly a teacher of English Literature at John Abbott College...
, Reaching for Clear: The Poetry of Rhys Savarin - First Book: Neil SmithNeil Smith (writer)Neil Smith is a Canadian short story writer. A three-time nominee for the Journey Prize and winner of an honourable mention at the National Magazine Awards, Smith published his debut collection, Bang Crunch, with Knopf Canada in 2007...
, Bang Crunch - Translation: Lazer LederhendlerLazer LederhendlerLazer Lederhendler is a Canadian literary translator and academic. A four-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for French to English translation, he won the award in 2008 for his translation of Nicolas Dickner's novel Nikolski...
, The Immaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate Conception is the English translation by Lazer Lederhendler of Gaétan Soucy's French novel, L'Immaculée conception, first published in 1994....
(Gaétan SoucyGaétan SoucyGaétan Soucy is a Canadian novelist and professor.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Soucy studied physics at Université de Montréal, completed a Master's degree in philosophy, and studied Japanese language and literature at McGill University....
) - Community: André Vanasse
2008
- Fiction: Rawi HageRawi Hage-Early life and education:Born in Beirut, Hage grew up in Lebanon and Cyprus. He moved to New York City in 1984. In 1991, he relocated to Montreal, where he studied Photography at Dawson College and Fine Arts at Concordia University. He subsequently began exhibiting as a photographer, and has had...
, Cockroach - Non-fiction: Taras GrescoeTaras GrescoeTaras Grescoe is a Canadian non-fiction writer, who won the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize in 2008 for his book Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood...
, Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood - Poetry: Peter Richardson, Sympathy for the Couriers
- First Book: Adam Leith Gollner, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession
- Translation: Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné, Big Bang (Neil SmithNeil Smith (writer)Neil Smith is a Canadian short story writer. A three-time nominee for the Journey Prize and winner of an honourable mention at the National Magazine Awards, Smith published his debut collection, Bang Crunch, with Knopf Canada in 2007...
) - Children's Literature: Raquel Rivera, Orphan Ahwak
- Community: Mary SoderstromMary SoderstromMary Soderstrom is a novelist, short story and nonfiction writer. Her most recent book is Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese Adventure . Her most recent novel, The Violets of Usambara , was supported by a grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec which allowed her to do...
- Carte Blanche Prize: J. R. Carpenter, "Wyoming is Haunted"