Author Sean Michaels won the most lucrative literary prize in Canada – the $100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize – for his debut novel Us Conductors. The announcement was made in Toronto at a black-tie dinner and award ceremony attended by members of the publishing, media and arts communities.
The Giller jury wrote of the novel: “Michaels’ book is based on the life of Lev Thermen, the Russian-born inventor of the Theremin, the most ethereal of musical instruments. As the narrative shifts countries and climates, from the glittery brightness of New York in the 1920s to the leaden cold of the Soviet Union under Stalin, the grace of Michaels’s style makes these times and places seem entirely new. He succeeds at one of the hardest things a writer can do: he makes music seem to sing from the pages of a novel.”
“I’m beyond words,” said Michaels immediately after the ceremony. “It doesn’t feel … The words seem impossible to put together. It’s an incredible gift and I feel stupidly lucky.”
More information:
Scotiabank Giller Prize press release – Sean Michaels Wins the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize – here
CBC News – Sean Michaels wins the Scotiabank Giller Prize – here
Toronto Star – Sean Michaels wins the 2014 Giller Prize, worth $100,000 – here
Quill and Quire – Sean Michaels a surprise winner at last night’s Scotiabank Giller Prize gala – here
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