Johanna Skibsrud
Encyclopedia
Johanna Skibsrud is a Canadian
writer, whose debut novel
The Sentimentalists
won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize
.
She has also published two books of poetry, Late Nights with Wild Cowboys in 2008 and I Do Not Think That I Could Love a Human Being in 2010. Late Nights with Wild Cowboys was a shortlisted nominee for the Gerald Lampert Award
. In spring 2011 her first novel, The Sentimentalists will be published in the United States by W. W. Norton & Company.
Skibsrud is a 2006 Master of Arts
graduate from Concordia University
's creative writing program; The Sentimentalists was written for her thesis. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Université de Montréal
.
A native of Meadowville, Nova Scotia
, Skibsrud currently lives in Montreal
, Quebec
.
Skibsrud's Giller win also focused attention on the struggles of small press publishers. The book had been originally published by Gaspereau Press
, a boutique firm based in Nova Scotia which is one of Canada's only book publishing companies that still binds and prints its own books, with the result that the firm had difficulty meeting the increased demand after Skibsrud's win was announced. Chapters-Indigo
, Canada's primary bookstore chain, did not have a single copy of the book in stock anywhere in Canada in the entire week of the Giller announcement. However, the paper book's unavailability resulted in a significant increase in ebook sales; the ebook version of the novel quickly became the top-selling title in the Kobo
ebookstore. The company subsequently announced that it had sold the novel's trade paperback rights to Douglas & McIntyre
, while it will continue to print a smaller run of the novel's original edition for book collectors.
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...
writer, whose debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
The Sentimentalists
The Sentimentalists (novel)
The Sentimentalists is a novel by Canadian writer Johanna Skibsrud, which was the winner of the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize.-Synopsis:The novel's protagonist is an unnamed young woman seeking to better understand her relationship with her father by investigating his experience in the Vietnam...
won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
.
She has also published two books of poetry, Late Nights with Wild Cowboys in 2008 and I Do Not Think That I Could Love a Human Being in 2010. Late Nights with Wild Cowboys was a shortlisted nominee for the Gerald Lampert Award
Gerald Lampert Award
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert...
. In spring 2011 her first novel, The Sentimentalists will be published in the United States by W. W. Norton & Company.
Skibsrud is a 2006 Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
graduate from Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
's creative writing program; The Sentimentalists was written for her thesis. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
.
A native of Meadowville, Nova Scotia
Meadowville, Nova Scotia
Meadowville is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County.-References:*...
, Skibsrud currently lives in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Skibsrud's Giller win also focused attention on the struggles of small press publishers. The book had been originally published by Gaspereau Press
Gaspereau Press
Gaspereau Press is a Canadian book publishing company, based in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Established in 1997 by Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield, the company's philosophy emphasizes "making books that reinstate the importance of the book as a physical object", maintaining control over the design and...
, a boutique firm based in Nova Scotia which is one of Canada's only book publishing companies that still binds and prints its own books, with the result that the firm had difficulty meeting the increased demand after Skibsrud's win was announced. Chapters-Indigo
Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian retail bookstore chain. The company was founded in 1996 by CEO Heather Reisman, wife of Gerry Schwartz, majority owner and CEO of Onex Corporation....
, Canada's primary bookstore chain, did not have a single copy of the book in stock anywhere in Canada in the entire week of the Giller announcement. However, the paper book's unavailability resulted in a significant increase in ebook sales; the ebook version of the novel quickly became the top-selling title in the Kobo
Kobo eReader
The Kobo eReader is an e-book reader produced by Toronto-based company Kobo Inc. The original version was released in July 2010 and was marketed as a minimalist alternative to the more expensive e-book readers available at the time. , fifty-eight percent of Kobo Inc is owned by Indigo Books & Music...
ebookstore. The company subsequently announced that it had sold the novel's trade paperback rights to Douglas & McIntyre
Douglas & McIntyre
Douglas & McIntyre is an independent Canadian publishing company founded in 1971. They are the publishers for such noted authors as Margaret Atwood and Douglas Coupland; poet Lorna Crozier; actress Kim Cattrall; chef John Bishop; and politician Mike Harcourt...
, while it will continue to print a smaller run of the novel's original edition for book collectors.
Fiction
- The Sentimentalists (2009)
- This Will Be Difficult to Explain, and Other Stories (2011)
Poetry
- I Do Not Think That I Could Love a Human Being (2008)
- Late Nights with Wild Cowboys (2010)