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Andre Alexis, Anakana Schofield, Heather O’Neill among finalists for 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize

Andre Alexis

André Alexis

Indie presses dominate this year’s Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist, with Biblioasis taking two of the five nominations for Anakana Schofield’s novel Martin John and Samuel Archibald’s story collection Arvida (trans. Donald Winkler). Coach House Books also received a nod for André Alexis’s latest novel, Fifteen Dogs. The final two spots are held by HarperCollins Canada for Rachel Cusk’s novel Outline and Heather O’Neill’s story collection, Daydreams of Angels.

This morning’s announcement at Toronto’s Bau-Xi Gallery – originally scheduled to take place at the Art Gallery of Ontario when a gas leak necessitated an impromptu venue change – was hosted by CBC’s Rick Mercer, who will also emcee the gala event on Nov. 10.

This year’s jury – five members for the first time in the prize’s history – comprising authors John Boyne, Cecil Foster, Alexander MacLeod, Helen Oyeyemi, and Alison Pick, selected the shortlist from 12 finalists, culled from 168 nominations. The winner of the prize will receive $100,000.

The full shortlist is as follows: