OTTAWA – The 2023 Ottawa Book Awards finalists lead readers through a voyage of moving poetry, poignant stories, captivating human drama, and engaging biographies. These works delve into significant historical eras, bringing fresh perspective to familiar landscapes and experiences.
The awards recognize the finest English and French books released in the previous year, authored by 20 local writers who exemplify Ottawa’s rich literary talent.
2023 Ottawa Book Awards finalists:
English Fiction
- Jennifer Falkner, Susanna Hall, Her Book, Fish Gotta Swim Editions
- natalie hanna, lisan al’asfour, Arbeiter Ring Publishing
- Kate Heartfield, The Embroidered Book, HarperCollins Publishers
- Jim McEwen, Fearnoch, Breakwater Books Ltd
- Jean Van Loon, Nuclear Family, McGill-Queen’s University Press
English Non-fiction
- Mark Bourrie, Big Men Fear Me, Biblioasis
- Tim Cook, Lifesavers and Body Snatchers: Medical Care and the Struggle for Survival in the Great War, Penguin Random House Canada
- Nathan M. Greenfield, Hanged in Medicine Hat: Murders in a Nazi Prisoner-of-War Camp, and the Disturbing True Story of Canada's Last Mass Execution, Sutherland House Books
- Stephen Poloz, The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future, Penguin Random House Canada
- Bonnie Robichaud, It Should Be Easy to Fix, Between the Lines
French Fiction
- Andrée Lacelle, dire, Éditions Prise de parole
- Gilles Lacombe, Circé des hirondelles, Les Éditions L’Interligne
- Claudia Lahaie, Les voies du slam, Les Éditions David
- Gilles Latour, Feux du naufrage, Les Éditions L’Interligne
- Nancy Vickers, Capharnaüm, Les Éditions David
French Non-fiction
- Philippe Bernier Arcand, Faux rebelles : les dérives du « politiquement incorrect », Les Éditions Poètes de brousse
- Ariane Brun del Re, Décoder le lecteur : la littérature franco-canadienne et ses
Publics, Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal
- Maurice Henrie, La tête haute, Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa
- Janine Messadié, Lettre à Tahar Ben Jelloun, Les Éditions L’Interligne
- Brigitte Pellerin, Le livre Uber, Les Éditions L’Interligne
Descriptions of short-listed books and author biographies are available on the Ottawa Book Awards webpage.
The winners of each category will be announced at the awards ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. at Meridian Theatres at 101 CentrepointeDrive. The event is hosted by the City of Ottawa’s Arts and Heritage Development Branch in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library.Each winner will receive $7,500, while finalists will each receive $1,000. The event is open to the public.
The Archibald Lampman Award for Poetryand Le Prix littéraire Émergence AAOF 2023 will also be presented at the ceremony.
Past winners of the Ottawa Book Awards include Conyer Clayton, David O’Meara, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Suzanne Evans, Fen Osler Hampson & Mike Blanchfield, Henry Beissel, John Metcalf, Charlotte Gray, Michèle Vinet, Andrée Christensen, Véronique Sylvain, Blaise Ndala, Pierre-Luc Landry, Alain Bernard Marchand, Margaret Michèle Cook and Nicole V. Champeau.