Governor General's Literary Awards, 2010

[FiveParadox]

Yesterday, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., the Governor General of Canada, gave a speech to the recipients of the Governor General's Literary Awards for 2010. There are fourteen awards given every year, with the authors of one English, and one French book selected for each of seven categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, children's literature (text), children's literature (illustration), and translation (either French-English, or English-French). Each award is worth $25 000, with the publishers given $3 000 per winner for promotional purposes. The awards are promoted and managed by the Canada Council for the Arts, an arms-length agency set up to fund the Canadian arts.

For the winners of this year's awards, click here.

And what a year it has been for Canadian literature—English and French books, plays and poetry of every genre, of every type and for all ages. The creators themselves are as diverse as the material, yet they produce distinctly Canadian works.

I enjoy discovering new writers, doubly so when they are Canadian, because I can identify more with the writer’s voice. I can say that this author—like me, like you, like everyone across the country—is helping to define our country’s identity, which can only happen if we choose to pay attention. [...]

Literacy is a vital part of our education system and an important part of everyday life, as it forms the basis for all other learning. Through reading, we learn how English and French have evolved over time, and we learn how to write ourselves. It is only through reading and writing that we can truly appreciate our languages. By opening a book, by supporting quality education, we not only foster a love of the printed word, we create a lifelong commitment to language.

In seven short years, the country will mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation. That is 150 years of Canadian achievements; 150 years of Canadian literature. It is therefore only fitting that one of the oldest offices in Canada celebrate literary contributions.

To read the rest of His Excellency's speech, please click here.

Sources

• Office of the Governor General: homepage / Presentation of the Governor General's Literary Awards
• Canada Council of the Arts: homepage / About the GGs

 

[Icarus27k]

That's interesting. I'll read some of that.