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Canadian novelist Kim Thúy among four writers shortlisted for Nobel alternative

Kim Thúy

Kim Thúy (Benoit Levac)

Montreal-based novelist Kim Thúy has been shortlisted for the New Prize in Literature, the prize created to replace the cancelled 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature. Thúy shares the shortlist with Maryse Conde, Neil Gaiman, and Haruki Murakami. The winner will be announced on Oct. 12.

The Vietnamese-born novelist’s debut novel, 2009’s Ru, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for French-language fiction. The English-language translation won the 2015 edition of CBC’s Canada Reads competition.

Thúy was named over higher profile authors on the longlist, including J.K. Rowling, Elena Ferrante, and fellow Canadians Anne Carson and Margaret Atwood. The shortlist is comprised of the top two men and top two women chosen through a public vote.

The grand prize winner will be selected by a four-member jury. The New Prize in Literature was created by Swedish journalist Alexandra Pascalidou after the Nobel Prize in Literature was cancelled as the organization fell into chaos in the wake of sexual harassment and corruption scandals.