The Koffler Centre of the Arts announced the winners of the 2019 Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature on Oct. 23.
The Vine Awards honour exceptional Canadian Jewish writers and Canadian authors exploring Jewish subjects in five categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, history and children’s/young adult, each with a prize of $10,000.
The awards were handed out at a luncheon ceremony at the Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto.
Fiction: Claire Holden Rothman, Lear’s Shadow (Penguin Canada).
“The writer’s command of the elements of the novel – setting, character, pace – are what distinguish this revision of Shakespeare by way of contemporary Montréal.” – The Vine Awards jury.
Non-Fiction: Anne Michaels, Infinite Gradation (Exile Editions).
“Infinite Gradation is grounded and informative as any non-fiction book but charged by high-flying contemplations that lift the mood and thoughts of the reader.” The Vine Awards jury.
Poetry: Linda Frank, Divided (Wolsak and Wynn Publishers).
“Divided uses the power of poetry to analyze the relationship between humankind and nature in often devastatingly clear language. It documents with both beauty and dispassion the complexity of the animal world – including human beings – in a way that will resonate for a long time to come.” – The Vine Awards jury.
History: Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy (Allen Lane Canada/Penguin Canada).
“The Death of Democracy, a briskly written history of the not-at-all inevitable transition from the Weimar Republic to fascist Germany, focuses on individuals in order to tell the story but also to remind us that it is the choices of individuals that make history.” – The Vine Awards jury
Children’s/Young Adult: Jonathan Auxier, Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster (Puffin Canada/Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers).
“Blending fantasy, folklore and history, Jonathan Auxier’s Sweep is a vivid re-imagining of the golem story set in Victorian London.” – The Vine Awards jury.
“We are thrilled to present the 2019 Vine Awards to five exceptional authors who embrace literary excellence and embody the best of contemporary Jewish Canadian literature,” said Koffler executive director, Karen Tisch.
The 2019 jury – poet Ayesha Chatterjee, children’s author Melanie J. Fishbaned, and author Eric Beck Rubin – reviewed 84 entries.
This year’s winning titles embody “the diversity of Canadian Jewish writing, characterized by the universal themes of home, family, and finding a place to belong,” said Fishbane. “These authors dive deep into generational trauma, challenge popular historical narratives, and ask the difficult questions about not only what it means to be Jewish, but to be human.”
“There were books whose style, authority and reach were outstanding,” added Rubin. “In all cases the jury’s consensus was based on a book’s impact and effects on a reader, no matter how they were achieved.”
The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature are made possible by a donation by the Lillian and Norman Glowinsky Family Foundation with the goal of cultivating and perpetuating Canadian Jewish literature. Originally founded in 1988 by Adam Fuerstenberg, the awards were rebranded in 2004, as a tribute to Lillian Glowinsky’s parents – Helen and Stan Vine – who were passionate about the arts and the Jewish community throughout their lives.
