KITCHENER -- Three Guelph authors are among the finalists for the 2020 Governor General Literary Awards.
According to a news release, the finalists were announced Tuesday after the 2020 awards were postponed due to the pandemic.
A total of 70 books across seven categories in both French and English are nominated.
The awards are one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious literary award programs, offering a total of $450,000 in prizes.
According to the news release, the themes of the books nominated this year are gender bending, boundary pushing and come from a diverse cohort of authors.
The three Guelph finalists are nominated in three separate categories.
Madhur Anand is a first time finalist in the category and her book “The Red Line Goes Straight To Your Heart” is nominated in the non-fiction category. According to the news release, her book is described as an experimental memoir about immigration and generational storytelling. Anand is currently a professor at the University of Guelph.
Guelph author Eric Walters is also a finalist, his book “The King of Jam Sandwiches” is nominated in the Young People’s literature - text category and is described as a funny, pull-at-your-heartstring story, loosely based on Walters early life growing up in poverty. Walters has already published over 100 kids’ books and received the Order of Canada in 2005.
The third nominee from Guelph is Thomas King. King is a finalist in the fiction category for his book “Indians on Vacation.” His book is about an Indigenous couple who embark on a European journey to trace a long-lost relative. King is an established writer of fiction and poetry and is also a professor at the University of Guelph.
The 14 winners for the 2020 awards will be announced online June 1 and the 2021 Governor General Literary Awards finalists and winners will be revealed this fall.
