By William Doyle-Marshall
The RBC Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction shortlist was announced earlier this month. It features five authors and subjects that cover the breadth of what Canadians are thinking about right now.
The five 2018 finalists include Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City, by Tanya Talaga (also of Toronto, Ontario), published by House of Anansi Press. The others include Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on Bering's Great Voyage to Alaska by Stephen R. Bown of Canmore, Alberta, published by Douglas & McIntyre; Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place by Daniel Coleman (Hamilton, Ontario), published by Wolsak and Wynn; Life on the Ground Floor: Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine by James Maskalyk (Toronto, Ontario; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), published by Doubleday Canada. Another Torontonian among the finalists is Max Wallace for his contribution In the Name of Humanity published by Allen Lane Canada. They were selected from more than 150 submissions recommended by Canadian publishers.
Vijay Parmar, president of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel is looking forward to the opportunity to dive into the shortlisted books and read them over the coming six weeks to develop his own opinion. He believes the emphasis on multiculturalism at the federal and provincial political levels are playing an important role that has resulted in the large number of books that have been seen by the jury.
“On so many different levels there is an awakening to issues that are relevant to this country, not just political but economic, social and I think knowing more about everyone around us and Canada is that microcosm of everyone being in one place,” he told Indo Caribbean World.
Parmar believes Canadians are starting to become more aware and interested in their neighbours and everyone around them from different walks of life and different backgrounds.
“I am, yet again, staggered by the breadth and power of our storytellers, and the appetite of Canadian readers for stories about ourselves, about our neighbours, about our shared earth, and the historical and current challenges we all face. This simultaneous reaching outward and examining inward is part of what makes this country so strong,” observed Noreen Taylor, chairman of the Charles Taylor Foundation and founder of the prize.
Christine Elliott, Anne Giardini, and James Polk, the three members of the RBC Taylor Prize jury took to the podium to announce the five finalists for the seventeenth RBC Taylor Prize, at an early January morning press conference held at the Toronto Omni King Edward Hotel.
The winner of the 17th annual prize will be awarded on Monday, 26th February at a gala luncheon. The winning Prize is $30,000. And $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists.
The senior banker believed the quantity and quality of this year’s submissions (153 books) which is a good 30 books more than the prior year and among publishers and editors, there seems to be an upswing in interest in reading and writing within Canada and that’s going to serve all of our young people and those others in Canada well as we are learning about our history and at the same time, our future.”
Sharing a commitment to emerging Canadian talent, The Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also name the fifth annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Awardee. Shortly after the announcement of the 2018 Prize, its winner will name their choice of emerging author to receive this $10,000 award.
Parmar is convinced this event commemorates the pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction by Charles Taylor. The submissions did not fail to impress and all exemplify the criteria established for the RBC Taylor Prize: superb command of the English language, elegance of style and a subtlety of thought and perception which only makes the task of driving this year’s shortlist that much more difficult.
Sue Hutchinson, executive director of the RBC Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction told the gathering of media practitioners, “The work ahead is only possible because of our partnership with RBC.”
She was delighted to be working with a new team at RBC who have brought a level of engagement and strategy “to our discussion that I think will have immense impact on the months ahead”.
The longevity and the strength of the prize Hutchinson emphasized, “comes from the trustees who together form the Charles Taylor Foundation 18 years ago and it has been through their invaluable guidance, diligence and their own very generous and personal support that they ensure that all Canadians are aware of the essential voices that help us navigate the complexity of being Canadians in society and around the world.”