Giller finalist Lynn Coady a contender for Hellgoing
CBC News | Posted: October 30, 2013 12:26 PM | Last Updated: November 1, 2013
A past Giller finalist for a novel, Coady is up again for her short story collection Hellgoing
It’s nothing new that short stories collections tend to get short shrift with the general reading public, so author Lynn Coady said she “didn’t even let [herself] hope” that her latest work Hellgoing might become a finalist for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
As the annual Giller Prize gala approaches, CBC News presents a chat with each finalist. The 2013 nominees are:
- Going Home Again - Dennis Bock (Toronto)
- Hellgoing - Lynn Coady (Edmonton)
- Cataract City - Craig Davidson (Toronto)
- Caught - Lisa Moore (St. John's)
- The Crooked Maid - Dan Vyleta (Edmonton)
Coady, who has also penned novels, admitted that the short story form can be a difficult, unforgiving genre.
“It’s all got to be good writing. There’s just nowhere to hide. You’re out there, you’ve only got — what? — 10, 15 pages. Any not-so-good writing is going to be glaring for all to see,” she tells CBC News.
In the attached video, Edmonton writer Coady talks to CBC’s Alice Hopton about Hellgoing’s theme of seeking escape and the difference between crafting short stories and novels.
The winner of the 2013 Giller Prize will be announced in Toronto the evening of Nov. 5, during a televised gala airing on CBC-TV.