The finalists for the 2023 Governor General's Literary Award for translation
The $25,000 prizes recognize the best Canadian books of the year
Here are the finalists for the 2023 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation.
The Governor General's Literary Awards are one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious literary prizes.
The prizes, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, are awarded in seven English-language categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people's literature — text, young people's literature — illustration, drama and French-to-English translation. Seven French-language awards are also given out in the same categories.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a partner of the CBC Literary Prizes. The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize is currently open for submissions.
Each winner will receive $25,000. The winners will be announced on Nov. 8, 2023.
The French-to-English translation category was assessed by Bilal Hashmi, Melissa Bull and Pablo Strauss.
You can see the finalists in all seven categories here.
Get to know the French-to-English translation finalists below.
Alone by Paul Tom, translated by Arielle Aaronson
Alone weaves together the story of three young refugees who arrive to Canada without their parents. It follows their heartbreak and sacrifices and highlights their courage and resilience.
Arielle Aaronson is a Montreal-based translator.
Paul Tom is an author who grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand, the son of Cambodian parents. He currently lives in Montreal. Seuls is his debut book.
House Within a House by Nicholas Dawson, translated by D.M. Bradford
House Within a House is an amalgamation of poetry, prose, essay, autobiography and photography, to illustrate Nicholas Dawson's own deep depression. Désormais, ma demeure, won the 2021 Grand Prix du livre de Montréal.
D.M. Bradford is a poet, editor, and translator based in Montreal.
Dawson is a writer, scholar and Literary Director of Éditions Triptyque. He was born in Chile and now lives in Montreal.
Kukum by Michel Jean, translated by Susan Ouriou
Michel Jean's Kukum, translated by Susan Ouriou, is a novel that traces the journey of Almanda Siméon, an orphan living in the Innu Nation of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh. Written with intimacy, the coming-of-age story is about love and acceptance, the history of colonial violence, and the traditional values of the Innu community.
Kukum won Combat national des livres 2021.
Ouriou is a French and Spanish to English translator, a fiction writer and a playwright. She has previously won the Governor General's Literary Award for translation for her work.
Jean is an author and journalist who grew up in Mashteuiatsh, Que., home to the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. His writing is often inspired by his experience as a reporter. Jean's previous books include Envoyé spécial, Un monde mort comme la lune and Tsunamis.
Okinum by Émilie Monnet, translated by Émilie Monnet
In the play Okinum, which means dam in Anishnaabemowin, Émilie Monnet revisits a recurring dream about beavers. The story weaves together English, French and Anishnaabemowin to reclaim language and reconnect with ancestors.
Monnet is an Algonquin and French writer, performer, and director. Okinum is her first written play.
Rosaʼs Very Own Personal Revolution by Éric Dupont, translated by Peter McCambridge
Rosaʼs Very Own Personal Revolution follows the story of Rosa Ost, who grows up in Notre-Dame-du-Cachalot, as she moves from her tiny village to the big city of Montreal. It's an adventure filled with long journeys and unsettling dreams, proving that revolutions in Quebec aren't always quiet.
- Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Eric Dupont on staying in tune to write Songs for the Cold of Heart
Peter McCambridge is a literary translator originally from Ireland, now based in Quebec City. He also translated Eric Dupont's Songs for the Cold of Heart, originally La fiancée américaine, that was on the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist and was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for translation.
Eric Dupont is an author, teacher and translator from Montreal. His French-language novel La Logeuse won the Radio-Canada's version of Canada Reads, Combats des livres. He was a finalist for both the Prix littéraire France-Québec and the Prix des cinq continents. He was the winner of the Prix littéraire des collégiens and the Prix des libraires.
