Trillium Book Award
Encyclopedia
The Trillium Award is given annually by the government of the Province of Ontario
and is open to books in any genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, children's books, and poetry. Anthologies, new editions, re-issues and translations are not eligible. Three jury members per language judge the submissions, select the shortlist and the winning title. The jury is composed of writers and other members of the literary community.
Canadian
citizens and landed immigrants who have lived in Ontario for at least three out of the past five years and who have been published anywhere in the world are eligible. Their publishers are invited to submit titles to the Ministry of Culture for consideration. In 1993 the award was expanded by Premier Bob Rae
's government to also include a French language category.
In 2003, English and French poetry
categories were added to the awards. The following year, there were not enough French poetry submissions to present an award; accordingly, the French award is currently divided into poetry and children's literature
awards presented in alternating years, with each award having an eligibility period of two years rather than one. The English poetry award continues to be presented yearly, and an English children's literature award is not presented; however, English children's books are eligible to be nominated for the English fiction award.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and is open to books in any genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, children's books, and poetry. Anthologies, new editions, re-issues and translations are not eligible. Three jury members per language judge the submissions, select the shortlist and the winning title. The jury is composed of writers and other members of the literary community.
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
citizens and landed immigrants who have lived in Ontario for at least three out of the past five years and who have been published anywhere in the world are eligible. Their publishers are invited to submit titles to the Ministry of Culture for consideration. In 1993 the award was expanded by Premier Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's government to also include a French language category.
In 2003, English and French poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
categories were added to the awards. The following year, there were not enough French poetry submissions to present an award; accordingly, the French award is currently divided into poetry and children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
awards presented in alternating years, with each award having an eligibility period of two years rather than one. The English poetry award continues to be presented yearly, and an English children's literature award is not presented; however, English children's books are eligible to be nominated for the English fiction award.
Winners
- 1987 - Michael OndaatjeMichael OndaatjePhilip Michael Ondaatje , OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.-Life and work:...
, In the Skin of a LionIn the Skin of a LionIn the Skin of a Lion is a novel by Canadian/Sri Lankan writer Michael Ondaatje. It was first published in 1987 by McClelland and Stewart. The novel fictionalises the lives of the immigrants whose contributions to building Toronto in the early 1900s never became part of the city's official history... - 1988 - Timothy FindleyTimothy FindleyTimothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.-Biography:...
, StonesStones (book)Stones is the second book of short stories by Timothy Findley. It was first published by Viking Canada in 1988.The first two stories, Bragg and Minna and A Gift of Mercy both detail the marriage of a homosexual man named Bragg and his Wife Minna... - 1989 - Modris EksteinsModris EksteinsModris Eksteins is a Canadian historian with a special interest in German history and modern culture. His works include Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age , which won the Ferguson Prize and the Trillium Book Award, and Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe,...
, Rites of Spring - 1990 - Alice MunroAlice MunroAlice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize...
, Friend of My YouthFriend of My YouthFriend of My Youth is a book of short stories by Alice Munro, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1990. It won the 1990 Trillium Book Award.-Stories:* "Friend of My Youth"* "Five Points"* "Meneseteung"* "Hold Me Fast, Don't Let Me Pass"... - 1991 - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, Wilderness TipsWilderness Tips (book)Wilderness Tips is a book of short stories by Margaret Atwood, published in 1991 by McClelland and Stewart. It was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. Certain of the stories were previously published in The New Yorker, Saturday Night, Playboy, Harper's and Vogue... - 1992 - Michael OndaatjeMichael OndaatjePhilip Michael Ondaatje , OC, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.-Life and work:...
, The English PatientThe English PatientThe English Patient is a 1992 novel by Sri Lankan-Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje. The story deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned English accented Hungarian man, his Canadian nurse, a Canadian-Italian thief, and an Indian sapper in the British Army as they live out... - 1993 - Jane UrquhartJane UrquhartJane Urquhart, OC is a Canadian novelist and poet.-Biography:Born 200 miles north of Thunder Bay, Ontario in Little Longlac , Ontario, Jane Urquhart is the third of three children and the only daughter of Marian and Walter Carter, a prospector and mining engineer...
, Away and Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, The Robber BrideThe Robber BrideThe Robber Bride is a Margaret Atwood novel first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1993. Set in present-day Toronto, Ontario, the novel begins with three women who meet once a month in a restaurant to share a meal.... - 1994
- English - Donald Harman Akenson, Conor: A Biography of Conor Cruise O'Brien; Volume 1 Narrative
- French - Andrée Lacelle, Tant de vie s'égare
- 1995
- English - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, Morning in the Burned HouseMorning in the Burned HouseMorning in the Burned House is a book of poetry by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1995.Morning in the Burned House displays themes, interests and styles characteristic of Atwood’s poetry...
and Wayson ChoyWayson ChoyWayson Choy, CM is a Canadian writer.-Early life:Choy was born in Vancouver in 1939. A Chinese Canadian, he spent his childhood in the city's Chinatown...
, The Jade PeonyThe Jade PeonyThe Jade Peony is a novel by Wayson Choy. It was first published in 1995 by Douglas and McIntyre.The novel features stories told by three siblings, Jook-Liang, Jung-Sum and Sek-Lung or Sekky... - French - Maurice Henrie, Le Balcon dans le ciel
- English - Margaret Atwood
- 1996
- English - Anne MichaelsAnne Michaels-Background:Anne Michaels was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1958. Michaels attended Vaughan Road Academy and then later the University of Toronto, where she is an adjunct faculty in the Department of English. Her first book, The Weight of Oranges , a volume of poetry, was awarded the Commonwealth...
, Fugitive PiecesFugitive PiecesFugitive Pieces is a novel by Canadian poet Anne Michaels. First published in 1996 , it was awarded the Books in Canada First Novel Award, the Trillium Book Award, Orange Prize for Fiction and the Guardian Fiction Prize.... - French - Nancy Vickers, Le Pied de Sappho and Alain Bernard Marchand, Tintin au pays de la ferveur
- English - Anne Michaels
- 1997
- English - Dionne BrandDionne BrandDionne Brand is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was named Toronto's third Poet Laureate in September 2009.-Biography:...
, Land to Light On - French - Roger Levac, Petite Crapaude!
- English - Dionne Brand
- 1998
- English - André AlexisAndré AlexisAndré Alexis is a Canadian writer who grew up in Ottawa and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario....
, Childhood and Alice MunroAlice MunroAlice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize...
, The Love of a Good WomanThe Love of a Good WomanThe Love of a Good Woman is a collection of short stories by Canadian writer Alice Munro, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1998.The eight stories of this collection deal with Munro's typical themes: secrets, love, betrayal, and the stuff of ordinary... - French - Daniel PoliquinDaniel PoliquinDaniel Poliquin is a Canadian novelist and translator. He has translated works of many Canadian writers into French, including David Homel, Douglas Glover, and Mordecai Richler. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario...
, L'homme de paille and Stefan PsenakStefan PsenakStefan Psenak is a Québécois poet, playwright and novelist. He lives in Outaouais.-External links:* *...
, Du chaos et de l'ordre des choses
- English - André Alexis
- 1999
- English - Alistair MacLeodAlistair MacLeodAlistair MacLeod, OC is a noted Canadian author and retired professor of English at the University of Windsor.- Academic career :...
, No Great MischiefNo Great MischiefNo Great Mischief is a 1999 novel by Alistair MacLeod.The novel opens in the present day, with successful orthodontist Alexander MacDonald visiting his elderly older brother Calum in Toronto, Ontario... - French - Andrée Christensen and Jacques Flamand, Lithochronos ou le premier vol de la pierre
- English - Alistair MacLeod
- 2000
- English - Don ColesDon ColesDonald L. Coles, also known as Don Coles, is a Canadian poet and a novelist. Coles won the 1993 Governor General's Award for English poetry for his collection Forests of the Medieval World and the Trillium Book Award in 2000 for his collection Kurgan.Don Coles was born on April 12, 1927, in...
, Kurgan - French - Didier LeclairDidier LeclairDidier Leclair is a Canadian francophone fiction writer currently based in Toronto. He has lived in various countries in Africa, and has studied at Laurentian University in Sudbury and Toronto's Glendon College....
, Toronto, je t'aime
- English - Don Coles
- 2001
- English - Richard B. WrightRichard B. WrightRichard B. Wright, CM, is a Canadian novelist.Born in Midland, Ontario, to Laverne and Laura . Wright graduated from Midland high school in 1956, and attended and graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in the area of Radio and TV arts in 1959...
, Clara CallanClara CallanClara Callan is a novel by Canadian writer Richard B. Wright, published in 2001.Clara Callan is the story of a middle aged woman living in Ontario in the 1930's. It is written in the epistolary form, utilizing letters and journal entries to tell the story... - French - Michèle Matteau, Cognac et Porto
- English - Richard B. Wright
- 2002
- English - Austin ClarkeAustin ClarkeAustin Ardinel Chesterfield Clarke, is a Canadian novelist, essayist and short story writer who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Born in St...
, The Polished HoeThe Polished HoeThe Polished Hoe is a novel by Canadian writer Austin Clarke, published by Thomas Allen Publishers in 2002. It was named the winner of the 2002 Scotiabank Giller Prize....
and Nino RicciNino RicciNino Ricci is a Canadian novelist who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He was born in Leamington, Ontario to Italian immigrants, Virginio and Amelia Ricci, from the province of Isernia, Molise....
, Testament - French - Michel Ouellette, Le testament du couturier and Éric Charlebois, Faux-fuyants
- English - Austin Clarke
- 2003
- English - Thomas King, The Truth About Stories
- English (Poetry) - Adam SolAdam Sol-Awards:* 2004 Trillium Book Award for Poetry*2008 Trillium Book Award for Poetry, Shortlist-Works:* "The Museum of Sound", published in The Walrus*-External links:******...
, Crowd of Sounds - French - Serge Denis, Social-démocratie et mouvements ouvriers and François ParéFrançois ParéFrançois-Rosaire Paré BA, PhD is a French Canadian author and academic specialising in French literature.Paré lived in Montreal during his youth. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Université de Montréal, he pursued further studies in Buffalo, New York at SUNY...
, La distance habitée - French (Poetry) - Angèle Bassolé-OuédraogoAngèle Bassolé-OuédraogoAngèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo is an Ivoirian born Canadian poet and journalist. She was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and raised in Burkina Faso, and was educated at the University of Ouagadougou...
, Avec tes mots
- 2004
- English - Wayson ChoyWayson ChoyWayson Choy, CM is a Canadian writer.-Early life:Choy was born in Vancouver in 1939. A Chinese Canadian, he spent his childhood in the city's Chinatown...
, All That MattersAll That Matters (novel)All That Matters is a novel by Wayson Choy. First published in 2004 by Doubleday Canada, it is the sequel to his debut novel, The Jade Peony , and was nominated for the Giller Prize.... - English (Poetry) - Maureen Scott HarrisMaureen Scott HarrisMaureen Scott Harris is a Canadian poet.-Life:She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved to Toronto in 1964.She graduated from University of Toronto...
, Drowning Lessons - French - Antonio D'AlfonsoAntonio D'AlfonsoAntonio D'Alfonso is a Canadian writer, editor, publisher and filmmaker.- Biography :D'Alfonso was born in Montreal. He studied at Loyola College from 1970 to 1975, where he got his B.A. in Communication Arts...
, Un vendredi du mois d'aout - French (Poetry) - there was no prize given this year, as there were fewer than 5 submissions. The prize money is being used to create a scholarship for French-language emerging poets.
- English - Wayson Choy
- 2005
- English - Camilla GibbCamilla GibbCamilla Gibb is a writer living in Toronto.Born in London, England, she grew up in Toronto and studied at the North Toronto Collegiate Institute and the Jarvis Collegiate Institute...
, Sweetness in the Belly - English (Poetry) - Kevin ConnollyKevin Connolly (writer)-Biography:Kevin Connolly is a Canadian poet, free-lance editor and critic who was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and grew up in Maple, Ontario. Connolly has served as an editor for presses such as ECW Press, House of Anansi Press and Coach House Press...
, drift - French - Jean Mohsen Fahmy, L'Agonie des dieux
- French (Poetry) - Éric Charlebois, Centrifuge
- English - Camilla Gibb
- 2006
- English - Mark FrutkinMark FrutkinMark Frutkin is a Canadian novelist and poet. He has published seven books of fiction and three books of poetry, as well as a work of non-fiction...
, Fabrizio's Return - English (Poetry) - Ken BabstockKen BabstockKen Babstock is a Canadian poet. He was born in Newfoundland and raised in the Ottawa Valley. Babstock began publishing his poems in journals and anthologies, winning gold at the 1997 Canadian National Magazine Awards...
, Airstream Land Yacht - French - Paul Savoie, Crac and Daniel Castillo Durante, La Passion des nomades
- French (Children's) - Françoise Lepage, Poupeska
- English - Mark Frutkin
- 2007
- English - Barbara GowdyBarbara GowdyBarbara Gowdy, CM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. Born in Windsor, Ontario, she is the long-time partner of poet Christopher Dewdney and resides in Toronto.-Literary career:...
, Helpless - English (Poetry) - Rachel ZolfRachel ZolfRachel Zolf is a Canadian poet and literary editor. She is the author of four poetry collections. Human Resources won the 2008 Trillium Book Award for Poetry and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award...
, Human Resources - French - Pierre Raphaël Pelletier, L'Oeil de la lumière
- French (Poetry) - Tina Charlebois, Poils lisses
- English - Barbara Gowdy
- 2008
- English - Pasha MallaPasha MallaPasha Malla is a Canadian author.He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and raised in London, Ontario. He attended Concordia University in Montreal as a graduate student....
, The Withdrawal Method - English (Poetry) - Jeramy DoddsJeramy DoddsJeramy Dodds is a Canadian poet.Born in Ajax, Ontario, Dodds grew up in Orono, Ontario. He studied English Literature and Anthropology at Trent University, Medieval Icelandic Studies at The University of Iceland, and has worked as a research archaeologist in Canada...
, Crabwise to the Hounds - French - Marguerite AndersenMarguerite AndersenMarguerite Andersen Ph.D is a primarily francophone writer and educator who is currently based in Toronto, Canada where she is a teacher at the Toronto Linden School....
, Le Figuier sur le toit - French (Children's) - Paul Prud’Homme, Les Rebuts: Hockey 2
- English - Pasha Malla
- 2009
- English - Ian BrownIan Brown (journalist)Ian Brown is a Canadian journalist and author, winner of several national magazine and newspaper awards.He is currently the host of Human Edge and The View from Here on TVOntario, and has hosted programming for CBC Radio One, including Later the Same Day, Talking Books, and Sunday Morning...
, The Boy in the Moon - English (Poetry) - Karen SolieKaren SolieKaren Solie is a Canadian poet.Born in Moose Jaw, Solie grew up on the family farm in southwest Saskatchewan. Over the years, she has worked as a farm hand, an espresso jerk, a groundskeeper, a newspaper reporter/photographer, an academic research assistant, and an English teacher...
, Pigeon - French - Ryad Assani-Razaki, Deux Cercles
- French (Poetry) - Michèle Matteau, Passerelles
- English - Ian Brown
- 2010
- English - Rabindranath MaharajRabindranath MaharajRabindranath Maharaj is a Canadian novelist, short story writer, and a founding editor of the literary journal Lichen...
, The Amazing Absorbing Boy - English (Poetry) - Jeff Latosik, Tiny, Frantic, Stronger
- French - Estelle Beauchamp, Un souffle venu de loin
- French (Children's) - Daniel Marchildon, La première guerre de Toronto
- English - Rabindranath Maharaj