1979 Governor General's Awards
Encyclopedia
Each winner of the 1979 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts
. The 1979 awards were the first in which a list of finalists was released a month before the presentation of the awards. This was done to attract more publicity.
Other Finalists:
Other Finalists:
Other Finalists:
Other Finalists:
Other Finalists:
Other Finalists:
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
. The 1979 awards were the first in which a list of finalists was released a month before the presentation of the awards. This was done to attract more publicity.
Fiction
Winner:- Jack HodginsJack HodginsFor the fictional character from Bones see Jack Hodgins Jack Hodgins is a Canadian novelist and short story writer....
, The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne
Other Finalists:
- 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...
, Life Before ManLife Before ManLife Before Man is a novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1979 and was a finalist for the Governor General's Award.... - Matt Cohen, The Sweet Second Summer of Kitty Malone
Poetry and Drama
Winner:- 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:...
, There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do
Other Finalists:
- Erin MouréErin MouréErin Mouré is a Canadian poet and translator of poetry from languages which include, French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish to English. Her mother Mary Irene was born 1924 in Galicia, Poland and moved to Canada in 1929. Erin’s father is William Moure born in Ottawa Canada in 1925...
, Empire, York Street - Susan MusgraveSusan MusgraveSusan Musgrave is a Canadian poet and children's writer. She was born in Santa Cruz, California to Canadian parents, and currently lives in British Columbia, dividing her time between Sidney and the Queen Charlotte Islands....
, A Man to Marry, a Man to Bury
Non-fiction
Winner:- Maria Tippett, Emily Carr
Other Finalists:
- Robert BothwellRobert BothwellRobert Bothwell is a professor of Canadian history, and the foremost scholar on Canadian Cold War participation, as well as a frequently published author.-Career:...
and William KilbournWilliam KilbournWilliam Morley Kilbourn, CM, FRSC was a Canadian author and historian in Toronto, Ontario. Kilbourn's topics cover history, biography, religion and the arts, with a focus on Toronto; he has penned over a dozen books. He was married to the Rev...
, C.D. Howe - Larry PrattLarry PrattLawrence D. Pratt is the executive director of Gun Owners of America, a U.S.-based firearms lobbying group, and a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates.- Early life :...
and John RichardsJohn Richards (scholar)John Guyon Richards is a UK-born professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia Canada. During the 1970s, he served as an elected member of the legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, representing the electoral district of Saskatoon University from 1971 to 1975.A member of the...
, Prairie Capitalism
Fiction
Winner:- Marie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire BlaisMarie-Claire Blais, is a Canadian author and playwright.- Life :Born in Quebec City, Quebec, she was educated at a convent school and at Université Laval. It was at Laval that she met Jeanne Lapointe and Father Georges Lévesque, who encouraged her to write and, in 1959, to publish her first...
, Le Sourd dans la ville
Other Finalists:
- Suzanne JacobSuzanne JacobSuzanne Jacob is a Canadian novelist, poet, playwright, singer-songwriter, and critic.Born in the town of Amos, in the Abitibi region of Québec, she studied classics at the Collège Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in Nicolet, and also attended classes at the "Atelier de theatre" and the "École de...
, La Survie - Suzanne ParadisSuzanne ParadisSuzanne Paradis is a Canadian poet, novelist and critic based in Quebec.-Books:* Les Enfants* A temps, le bonheur* Les Hauts Cris* La Chasse aux autres*Les Cormorans*L'Oeuvre de pierre...
, Miss Charlie
Poetry and Drama
Winner:- Robert MélançonRobert MelançonRobert Melançon is a Canadian writer.He is professor of literature at the University of Montreal since 1972.-Honors:* 2003 - Prix Victor-Barbeau 2003 - Victor Barbeau...
, Peinture aveugle
Other Finalists:
- Marcel Bélanger, Migrations
- André RoyAndré RoyAndré Roy is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player. A veteran of the National Hockey League , Roy is currently an unrestricted free agent.-Playing career:...
, Les passions du samedi
Non-fiction
Winner:- Dominique Clift and Sheila McLeod Arnopoulos, Le fait anglais au Québec
Other Finalists:
- Daniel Latouche, Une société de l'ambiguïté
- Pierre NepveuPierre NepveuPierre Nepveu is a famous French Canadian poet, novelist and essayist. He specializes in Quebec modern poetry, in particular that of Gaston Miron...
, Les mots à l'écoute