Standing beside Dan Wells, I was amazed at how the Biblioasis publisher held his cool during this morning’s Giller shortlist announcement. As the jury – John Boyne, Alison Pick, Cecil Foster and Alexander MacLeod (Helen Oyeyemi could not attend) – announced that both Samuel Archibald’s short story collection Avida and Anakana Schofield’s Martin John made the cut, he barely twitched. He remained frozen with a half smile even when I muttered an audible, “Cha ching.”
André Alexis became the only author shortlisted for both the Writers Trust and Giller prizes for Fifteen Dogs. Also on the list: Rachel Cusk, for Outline and DayDreams Of Angels author Heather O’Neill – a rare back-to-back shortlister, acknowledged last year for The Girl Who Was Saturday Night – both published by HarperCollins.
That makes three indie press and only one large-house book on the shortlist.
That wasn’t the only thing that made the announcement unusual. The original venue for the event was the AGO’s Walker Court but a feared gas leak forced the AGO to close down. A pack of industry types – many bemoaning the absence of snacks and coffee – were herded into the Bau-Xi gallery where, to the Giller team’s immense credit, a podium was quickly set up, champagne was passed around and Rick Mercer told a few jokes, like, “The gas leak was called in by the Man Booker Prize.”
The Giller Prize will be awarded on November 10.