Speaking of authors and former Toronto Sun columnists, congratulations to Christie Blatchford, winner of the 2008 Governor-General's Literary Award in the English-language non-fiction category.The veteran journalist won the prestigious award for Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army, first published last year by Doubleday Canada.
Christie, a National Newspaper Award winner now at the Globe and Mail, accepted the $25,000 award yesterday. Her Toronto print media career also includes stops at the Star, Sun and Post.
Today's Globe story says:
"I owe huge debts of thanks, chiefly to the men and women of the Canadian army, and to their families and friends, who trusted me with the telling of their stories," Ms. Blatchford said in her acceptance speech in Montreal. "Whatever is good about this book is good because of them."
The jury said Christie's book "is a dramatic and vivid chronicle that proves reportage and the language of common speech can rise to the challenge of literature. Blatchford's writing allows the soldiers and their families to speak to us in their own voices, without adornment."
The Canadian Council for the Arts says a total of 1,469 books were nominated, with 73 finalists. A complete list of the GG winners can be found here.
As for Christie, we can now name drop with fond affection - a GG and NNA winner often mooched food from this rewrite guy's desk while counting the minutes to Sun newsroom deadlines.
Congrats, Blatch.
Christie, a National Newspaper Award winner now at the Globe and Mail, accepted the $25,000 award yesterday. Her Toronto print media career also includes stops at the Star, Sun and Post.
Today's Globe story says:
"I owe huge debts of thanks, chiefly to the men and women of the Canadian army, and to their families and friends, who trusted me with the telling of their stories," Ms. Blatchford said in her acceptance speech in Montreal. "Whatever is good about this book is good because of them."
The jury said Christie's book "is a dramatic and vivid chronicle that proves reportage and the language of common speech can rise to the challenge of literature. Blatchford's writing allows the soldiers and their families to speak to us in their own voices, without adornment."
The Canadian Council for the Arts says a total of 1,469 books were nominated, with 73 finalists. A complete list of the GG winners can be found here.
As for Christie, we can now name drop with fond affection - a GG and NNA winner often mooched food from this rewrite guy's desk while counting the minutes to Sun newsroom deadlines.
Congrats, Blatch.
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