Nov. 5, 2003. 01:00 AM CHARLA JONES/TORONTO STAR Toronto novelist M.G. Vassanji emerges triumphant last night at the Giller gala: "This time it's obviously a mistake," he joked.
Vassanji wins 2nd Giller Toronto novelist becomes first repeat winner His book set in colonial Kenya in the 1950s Toronto Star JUDY STOFFMAN PUBLISHING REPORTER M.G. Vassanji became the first two-time winner of the Giller Prize for Canadian literature last night for his novel, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. "It felt like a mistake the first time, so this time it's obviously a mistake," said Vassanji as he sheepishly accepted the award, which some believed was a lock for either the higher-profile Margaret Atwood for her novel Oryx and Crake, or Anne-Marie MacDonald for As the Crow Flies. But the Giller, over its 10-year history, has produced surprises before. By no means a lifetime achievement award or a further canonization of the literary establishment, the Giller has also reached out to smaller press and less known authors particularly in its nominations. In 2000, the prize was shared by two authors, Michael Ondaatje and David Adams Richards. The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, Vassanji's fifth novel, is the story of Vic, an Indian-born Kenyan exiled to a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario. From his Canadian vantage point, Vic reflects back on his life in British-ruled Kenya, the complexities of his past, and the choices that shaped his life. Bruce Westwood, Vassanji's agent, said he had already made a couple of foreign deals for the book. "Sonny Mehta of Knopf (in New York) started the book on Sunday, cancelled his lunch appointment Monday (to keep reading), cancelled his dentist appointment Tuesday, and on Wednesday made a pre-emptive offer high enough so we can't deal with any other publisher," he said. The book has also been sold to Cannongate Publishing in the U.K. - the same publisher that took Yann Martel's Life of Pi and helped make it into a Booker Prize winner. Vassanji, while perhaps not the pre-Giller favourite, is hardly an unknown quantity. He won the inaugural Giller prize in 1994 for his novel The Book Of Secrets. It helped vault his career to greater reknown. While there are indeed older Canadian literary awards - not to mention richer ones, like the Gelber and the Griffin prizes - none have excitement, glitter and prestige of the 10-year-old, $25,000 Giller. Maybe it's because the prize is delivered alongside an indulgent, money-is-no-object affair that has become the highlight of the Canadian literary community's year. But it is also embued with a deep personal significance: As the Giller recognizes literary achievement, it also commemorates a great love affair. The $25,000 prize was founded by businessman Jack Rabinovitch as his Taj Mahal, a monument to the memory of his late wife Doris Giller, who died of cancer in 1993. Posted by JJD'S ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
