Helen Marshall

Helen Marshall has won the 2026 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic for her novel The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death (Titan Books).

Marshall, an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, was one of five authors shortlisted for the annual $3,000 prize.

This year’s winner was selected from more than 100 submitted books by a jury comprised of A.G. Pasquella, Daniel Perry, and A.C. Wise.

In their citation, the jury called the book a “brilliant literary fantasy” that follows a young woman and her grandmother as they try to tame Death.

“This is a layered, intricate, and thoughtful fantasy blended with grim reality to create a beautifully strange fable of revenge, loss, grief, and healing,” the jury wrote. “Marshall draws on history and traditional tales, weaving them seamlessly into the novel and suffusing the narrative with a dream-like feel. The prose is gorgeous throughout, while also remaining grounded, centring the reader with a deep sense of place – whether it be the city, the circus, or a small apartment.”

The Sunburst Award, which was first presented in 2001, returned in 2025 after a four-year hiatus.

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