The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English."Governor General's Literary Awards". The Canadian Encyclopedia, May 27, 2007. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each for creators of English- and French-language books. The awards was created by the Canadian Authors Association in partnership with Lord Tweedsmuir in 1936. In 1959, the award became part of the Governor General's Awards program at the Canada Council for the Arts in 1959. The age requirement is 18 and up.
The program was created in 1937 by the Canadian Authors Association and inaugurated that November for 1936 publications in two English-language categories, conventionally called the 1936 Governor General's Awards. Administration of the awards was transferred to the Canada Council in 1959.
The winners alone were announced until 1979, when Canada Council released in advance a shortlist of three nominees. Omitted only for 1981, the advance shortlist has numbered three to six; from 1997, always five.
Winners and nominees 1930s YearAuthorTitleRef 1936 Think of the Earth "Late T. B. Roberton Awarded Literary Achievement Prize; Tweedsmuir Raps 'Moderns'". Winnipeg Tribune, November 26, 1937. 1937 "Leacock, Pratt, Salverson Awarded Viceregal Medals". The Globe and Mail, November 5, 1938. 1938 Swiss Sonata "Honors for Canadian Writers". The Globe and Mail, April 29, 1939. 1939 "Ottawa Poet Awarded Top Canadian Ranking". Ottawa Citizen, April 13, 1940.
1940s YearAuthorTitleRef 1940 Ringuet Thirty Acres "Medals for Canadian Authors". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 1941. 1941 Three Came to Ville Marie "Klee Wyck Tops General Field; Novel of Old Montreal a Winner". Montreal Gazette, June 27, 1942. 1942 Little Man William Arthur Deacon, "Governor-General's Annual Literary Awards Go to Sallans, Birney, Hutchison, Mclnnis". The Globe and Mail, June 19, 1943. 1943 William Arthur Deacon, "Governor-General's Annual Literary Awards Present More Than Usually Interesting Winners". The Globe and Mail, April 15, 1944. 1944 Earth and High Heaven "Literary Prizes Are Announced". North Bay Nugget, April 2, 1945. 1945 Two Solitudes "'Two Solitudes' Wins Fiction Book Award". Vancouver Sun, April 13, 1946. 1946 Continental Revue "Winifred Bambrick Winner of Governor-General's Prize". Owen Sound Sun-Times, April 18, 1947. 1947 "Governor General's Fiction Award For 1947 Is Won By 'The Tin Flute'". Edmonton Journal, May 22, 1948. 1948 "Hugh McLennan Is Best 1948 Novelist". Calgary Herald, June 11, 1949. 1949 Mr. Ames Against Time "Governor General's Awards Won By Six". Windsor Star, June 3, 1950.
1950s YearAuthorTitleRef 1950 "Montreal Writer Wins For 1950 Best Novel". Brantford Expositor, May 5, 1951. 1951 "Five top literary awards won by eastern Canadians". Regina Leader-Post, June 14, 1952. 1952 "Five Canadian Authors Win Governor General's Awards". Montreal Star, May 30, 1953. 1953 Digby "Literary Award for Fiction Again Goes to David Walker", Kingston Whig-Standard, May 14, 1954. 1954 "Highest Fiction Award Goes to Igor Gouzenko". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 2, 1955. 1955 "Shapiro war book wins fiction prize". The Province, February 25, 1956. 1956 "Governor-General Literature Awards Are Announced". Red Deer Advocate, May 8, 1957. 1957 Street of Riches "Gabrielle Roy's Street Of Riches Wins Governor-General's Award". Ottawa Citizen, May 3, 1958. 1958 Execution "Governor General's Awards In Literature Announced". Calgary Albertan, May 30, 1959. 1959 "Hugh McLennan Gets Fiction Award". Owen Sound Sun-Times, March 9, 1960.
1960s YearAuthorTitleRef 1960 "First Book Gains Award For Author". Sault Star, February 25, 1961. 1961 Hear Us O Lord from Heaven Thy Dwelling Place "Author Died in Obscurity Five Years Ago, Book Wins Governor-General Prize for 1961". Brantford Expositor, February 23, 1962. 1962 Running to Paradise "Governor-General's Awards Show English Fiction Had Thin Year". Vancouver Sun, March 15, 1963. 1963 Hugh Garner's Best Stories "Book Notes". Ottawa Citizen, May 2, 1964. 1964 "Member Of Early City Family Douglas Le Pan Is Winner Of Governor-General Award". Owen Sound Sun-Times, March 27, 1965. 1965 No award presented "Poet late for Rideau Hall award ceremony". Ottawa Citizen, June 1, 1966. 1966 "Authors honored". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, June 6, 1967. 1967 No award presented "Awards honor poets, ignore novelists". Kingston Whig-Standard, May 3, 1968. 1968 Dance of the Happy Shades "Empty chairs mar ceremony". Montreal Star, May 14, 1969. Cocksure 1969 "Governor-General's Awards won by two former Albertans". Calgary Albertan, April 18, 1970.
1970s YearAuthorTitleRef. 1970 "G-G's awards presented in 'informal atmosphere'". Ottawa Citizen, May 19, 1971. 1971 St. Urbain's Horseman "Five Quebec writers win Governor-General awards". Montreal Gazette, March 22, 1972. 1972 "La Sagouine author wins Governor General's award". Montreal Gazette, April 17, 1973. 1973 "Six books win authors governor-general awards". Red Deer Advocate, May 21, 1974. 1974 "Quebec writers denounce award but approve $2,500 money prize". Windsor Star, May 23, 1975. 1975 Burt Heward, "Governor-General's literary awards presented". Ottawa Citizen, April 30, 1976. 1976 Bear "Quebec writers end literary award boycott". Edmonton Journal, May 18, 1977. 1977 "Canada Council Literary Awards". Whitehorse Star, June 9, 1978. 1978 Who Do You Think You Are? "Alice Munro captures her second Governor-General's writing prize". Calgary Herald, March 22, 1979. 1979 Alan Twigg, "Jack Hodgins has won more than Canada's top literary award". The Province, May 18, 1980. Life Before Man Susan Pedwell, "Nominee for governor-general's award leads the life of a recluse". Calgary Herald, April 17, 1980.
1980s YearAuthorTitleRef 1980 Burning Water Burt Heward, "Bawdy novel wins Governor General's award". Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 1981. Pat Barclay, "Fat Woman, thin story". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 25, 1981. Fat Woman 1981 Home Truths: Selected Canadian Stories "Governor General's literary awards announced". Ottawa Citizen, May 18, 1982. 1982 Man Descending Sheila Robertson, "Author's first novel started at age 11". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, July 16, 1983. "B.C. authors considered for awards". The Province, May 26, 1983. Antichthon 1983 Shakespeare's Dog "CanLit fiction's leading award goes to the Dog". The Globe and Mail, June 21, 1984. People Like Us in a Place Like This "Governor General's finalists announced". Montreal Gazette, May 25, 1984. Painted Ladies The Biggest Modern Woman of the World 1984 The Engineer of Human Souls Rod Currie, "Former Kingstonian Judith Thompson wins Governor General's Award". Kingston Whig-Standard, June 7, 1985. Not Wanted on the Voyage James Adams, "Local writers nominated for award". Edmonton Journal, May 16, 1985. The Book of Fears Intertidal Life 1985 The Handmaid's Tale "Margaret Atwood lifts second Governor General's award". Edmonton Journal, June 4, 1986. Queen of the Headaches "Literary prize nominees named". Red Deer Advocate, May 13, 1986. Foreign Affairs Road to the Stilt House 1986 The Progress of Love Lisa Rochon, "Yvon Rivard honored for French-language fiction: Munro wins top literary prize". The Globe and Mail, May 28, 1987. A Stone Watermelon "Awards finalists announced". The Globe and Mail, May 1, 1987. Adult Entertainment No Fixed Address 1987 A Dream Like Mine "Literary awards held at Calgary festival". Regina Leader-Post, February 13, 1989. The Ring Master "Victoria's Gurr, Page nominated for book awards". Vancouver Sun, January 13, 1988. Tales from Firozsha Baag In the Skin of a Lion Swann: A Mystery 1988 Nights Below Station Street "New Brunswick writer wins national race for top literary prize". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1989. Cat's Eye "Atwood, Berton top lists as nominees announced for national literary awards". Montreal Gazette, February 1, 1989. The Victory of Geraldine Gull Atmospheres Apollinaire The Cost of Living 1989 Whale Music "Governor General's awards announced". North Bay Nugget, March 10, 1990. The Golden Thread "Three B.C. writers in running for awards". Vancouver Sun, February 7, 1990. A View from the Roof
1990s YearAuthorTitleRef. 1990 Lives of the Saints Philip Marchand, "Toronto's Nino Ricci wins top book prize". Toronto Star, January 23, 1991. Disappearing Moon Café "Prominent names among nominees". Windsor Star, November 17, 1990. Friend of My Youth On Double Tracks Man of My Dreams 1991 Such a Long Journey "First novel earns top literary honor". Windsor Star, December 4, 1991. Wilderness Tips "Atwood leads G-G Award nominees". Hamilton Spectator, November 9, 1991. Blue Husbands Quickening 1992 Mark Abley, "Ondaatje wins Governor-General's Award, denounces GST in speech". Montreal Gazette, December 2, 1992. Jamie Portman, "Three from Ottawa area among finalists". Ottawa Citizen, November 6, 1992. Deep Hollow Creek 1993 "This time, Stone Diaries on top: Governor General's award atones for loss in Booker". Windsor Star, November 17, 1993. Bad Imaginings "Shields in running for Governor General Award; Nomination comes just after Booker Prize loss". Halifax Daily News, October 29, 1993. Green Grass, Running Water For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down Visible Light 1994 John Geddes, "Wiebe wins Canada's heart with love of history". Financial Post, November 19, 1994. Conway Daly, "Munro, Atwood lead familiar names in race for Governor General's award". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 28, 1994. Division of Surgery Open Secrets How Insensitive 1995 "Writer's Roaring success: Greg Hollingshead wins Governor-General's Award for fiction". Vancouver Sun, November 15, 1995. Highways and Dancehalls "68 finalists for literary awards". Vancouver Sun, October 27, 1995. Mister Sandman 1996 Philip Marchand, "Vanderhaeghe wins second fiction prize". Toronto Star, November 13, 1996. Alias Grace Judy Stoffman, "It's Atwood ahead again in book race". Toronto Star, October 18, 1996. Let Me Be the One Teaching Pigs to Sing Coming Down from Wa 1997 Robert Reid, "Jane Urquhart wins Governor General's Award for fiction". Waterloo Region Record, November 19, 1997. Paul Gessell, "Urquhart, Hay nominated for Governor General's prize". St. Catharines Standard, October 23, 1997. Last Seen Small Change First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women 1998 Forms of Devotion Anne-Marie Tobin, "Kingston author savours literary award". Kingston Whig-Standard, November 18, 1998. Strange Heaven "Montrealers deluge list of nominees". Montreal Gazette, October 21, 1998. 1999 Elizabeth and After "Matt Cohen, Marq de Villiers win GG literary awards". The Western Star, November 17, 1999. "Governor General's Award nominees: Clarkson hands them out Nov. 16". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, October 24, 1999. Pool-hopping and Other Stories Can You Wave Bye Bye, Baby? Gloria
2000s