Emily St. John Mandel and Omar El-Akkad among 8 Canadians longlisted for $142K Dublin Literary Award
Nikky Manfredi | CBC Books | Posted: February 14, 2023 4:52 PM | Last Updated: February 14, 2023
The prize annually recognizes the best work of fiction in English in the world
Eight Canadian-authored titles are among the 70 books longlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award, including What Strange Paradise by Omar El-Akkad and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel.
The €100,000 ($142,519 Cdn) prize annually recognizes the best work of fiction in English from anywhere in the world. It is the most valuable award in the world for a single work of fiction published in English. 2023 marks the 28th year for the prize.
What Strange Paradise is a novel that tells the story of a global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. Nine-year-old Amir is the only survivor from a ship full of refugees coming to a small island nation. He ends up with a teenage girl named Vanna, who lives on the island. Even though they don't share a common language or culture, Vanna becomes determined to keep Amir safe. What Strange Paradise tells both their stories and how they each reached this moment, while asking the questions, "How did we get here?" and "What are we going to do about it?"
What Strange Paradise won the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize and was a contender for Canada Reads 2022, when it was championed by Tareq Hadhad.
El Akkad is a Canadian journalist and author who currently lives in Portland. He is also the author of the novel American War, which was defended on Canada Reads 2018 by actor Tahmoh Penikett.
LISTEN | Omar El-Akkad speaks with Shelagh Rogers about his novel What Strange Paradise:
Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel's sixth novel, follows a wide range of characters living in British Columbia in 1912 and on the moon in 2401 as they come into contact with a time traveller who must resist the pull to change the past and the future.
The story explores a series of lives upended — from an exiled son driven mad by beauty and mystery in a Canadian forest to a writer living in a colony on the moon as a pandemic ravages Earth.
LISTEN | Emily St. John Mandel on her book Sea of Tranquility:
The B.C.-born Mandel is a dual American Canadian citizen who currently spends her time between New York City and Los Angeles.
Her other novels include The Glass Hotel, which was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and selected by President Barack Obama as a favourite book of 2020; and Station Eleven, a bestseller adapted for HBO and a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Station Eleven is a contender for Canada Reads 2023. It will be championed by actor, director and choreographer Michael Greyeyes.
The other Canadian titles longlisted for the award include All's Well by Toronto writer Mona Awad, which was previously nominated for a 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards; The Good Women of Safe Harbour by Halifax-based author Bobbi French; Open Your Heart by Montreal writer Alexie Morin, which was translated by Newfoundland writer Aimee Wall; and The Book of Form and Emptiness by B.C. writer Ruth Ozeki, which won the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction.
Em by Vietnamese-born Quebec author Kim Thúy also made the longlist. Em was translated from French by Toronto literary translator Sheila Fischman and previously on the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.
Alongside these works is Fight Night by Manitoba-born author Miriam Toews. Toews' ninth book, Fight Night was previously shortlisted for the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize and a finalist for the 2021 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Prize for Fiction.
Notable international titles nominated this year include Small Things Like These by Irish writer Claire Keegan; Song for the Missing by German writer Pierre Jarawan, which was translated by U.S.-based translator Elisabeth Lauffer; The Trees by U.S. author Percival Everett; The Magician by Irish novelist Colm Tóibín; Iron Curtain by Serbian British writer Vesna Goldsworthy and Case Study by Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet.
LISTEN | Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses his book Case Study with Eleanor Wachtel:
The Dublin prize's longlist is compiled by library nominations from around the world. More than 400 library systems participate in the program. Nominations by 84 libraries from 31 countries are on this year's longlist.
A jury selects the shortlist and winner from these submissions.
The 2023 jury is comprised of Irish Norwegian poet, playwright and critic Gabriel Gbadamosi, French literary translator Marie Hermet, Scottish author Sarah Moss, Irish poet, essayist and translator Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Indian literary translator Arunava Sinha.
The jury is chaired by Chris Morash, a professor at Trinity College Dublin, who does not vote.
The shortlist will be announced on March 28, and the winner will be revealed on May 25.
Last year's winner was The Art of Losing by French author Alice Zeniter and Irish translator Frank Wynne.
Two Canadians have won the prize since its 1996 inception: Alistair MacLeod won in 2001 for No Great Mischief and Rawi Hage won in 2008 for De Niro's Game.
For the full list of 2023 nominees, check out the awards website.