Anuja Varghese's short story collection Chrysalis among $25K Governor General's Literary Award winners

Hamilton writer Anuja Varghesehas won theGovernor General's Literary Award for fiction for her short story collectionChrysalis.

Chrysalisis among the 14 titles, seven in English and seven in French, that were acknowledged by theGovernor General's Literary Awards as the best books in 2023.

The prizes, administeredby theCanada Council for the Arts, are awarded in seven English-language categories:fiction,nonfiction,poetry,young people's literature text,young people's literature illustration,dramaandFrench-to-English translation.French-language awards arealsogiven outin the same categories. A total of$450,000 is awarded across all the prizes annually.

The winner in each category will receive $25,000. The remainingfinalists will each receive $1,000.

Books published between Aug.1, 2022and July 31, 2023were eligible for the 2023awards. The finalists and winners are chosen by a peer assessment committee for each category.

Chrysalisis a short story collection that centres South Asian women, showing how they reclaim their power in a world thatconstantly undermines them. Exploring sexuality, family and cultural norms, this collection deals with desire and transformation.

"I never saw myself in the books I was reading. And I think that's changing now," she said in an interview withThe Next Chapter. "There's very rarely that kind of main character energy, especially for brown women, especially for queer brown women."

Toronto-based author Kyo Maclear won the nonfiction category for her memoirUnearthing. After the father who raised her dies, she learns that heis not biologically related to her. In this memoir, she unravels the story of her biological father and explores what it really means to be a family.

Winnipeg writer Hannah Green won the poetry category for her collection,Xanax Cowboy, which follows a pill-popping, whiskey drinking woman with a reputation like a rattlesnake.

William Shakespeares As You Like It: A Radical Retelling,a subversive update to Shakespeare's classic from an Indigenous perspective, by playwrightand actor Cliff Cardinal, won the drama category.

• How Cliff Cardinal's play tricked audiences into confronting Canada's relationship with Indigenous people

Alberta-based Sarah Everettwon theyoung people's literature text category for her YA novelThe Probability of Everythingwhile Halifax's Jack Wongwon theyoung people's literature illustrated books category for his picture bookWhen You Can Swim.

Rosas Very Own Personal Revolution, written byric Dupont and translated byPeter McCambridgewon the award for French-to-English translation.

The Governor General's Literary Awards were created in 1936. Past winners includeThomas King,Madeleine Thien,Michael Ondaatje,Alice MunroandMargaret Atwood.

TheCanada Council for the Artsis a partner oftheCBC Literary Prizes. TheCBC Nonfiction Prizewill open in January, theCBC Poetry Prizewill open in April and theCBC Short Story Prizeopened in September.

Keep reading to learn more aboutthe 2023 Governor General's Literary Award English-language winners.

Fiction:ChrysalisbyAnuja Varghese

Chrysalisis a short story collection that examines the ways in which racialized women are undermined and exploited and the ways in which they reclaim their power. Blending realism with elements of fantasy, Varghesetells stories of a womandying in her sleep repeatedly until she finds an unexpected refuge or a couple in a broken marriage encountering spiritual direction. Each story looks at family, sexuality, cultural norms and the ties that bind.

• CBC Books' writers to watch: 30 Canadian writers making their mark in 2023

Anuja Vargheseis a Hamilton, Ont.-based writer and editor. Her stories have been recognized in the Prism International Short Fiction Contest and the Alice Munro Festival Short Story Competition and nominated for the Pushcart Prize.Chrysalisis her first book.

Chrysalis seamlessly blends realism with the otherworldly to achieve a work that is rollicking and wry, gleeful and ominous.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"A passionate, sophisticated collection of stories that highlights Anuja Varghese's impressive range,Chrysalisseamlessly blends realism with the otherworldly to achieve a work that is rollicking and wry, gleeful and ominous. Each story is complex and intimate, the characters served by rich, evocative writing that goes to the heart of their humanity. Confidently cutting across genres,Chrysalisis sparkling and downright delightful," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee was Carleigh Baker, Neil Bissoondathand Jessica Westhead.

LISTEN | Anuja Varghese discusses ChrysalisonThe Next Chapter:

The Next Chapter13:48Anuja Varghese's short story collection sizzles with desire and transformation

Hamilton-based writer Anuja Varghese shares the inspiration behind her debut short story collection, Chrysalis.

Non-Fiction:UnearthingbyKyo Maclear

After Kyo Maclear's father dies, a DNA test shows that she is not biologically related to the father that raised her. Maclear embarks on a journey to unravel the family mystery and uncover the story of her biological father, raising questions about kinship and what it means to be family inUnearthing.

• What keeps Kyo Maclear from loitering at the edge of writing

Maclear is an essayist, novelist and children's author. Her books have been translated into 15 languages, won a Governor General's Literary Award and been nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, among others. Her memoirBirds Art Lifewas a finalist for the 2017 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction andwon the 2018 Trillium Book Award.

This quiet, arresting work softens the line between memoir and philosophy.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"In recursive, often incantatory prose, Maclear meditates on the fragile nature of kinship and memory. A finely plotted and intricate narrative,Unearthingreimagines the garden metaphor and explores the porous grounds of self, culture and belonging. This quiet, arresting work softens the line between memoir and philosophy," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee wasKat Lafferty, Lorri Neilsen Glenn and Rinaldo Walcott.

LISTEN | Kyo Maclear on Unearthing:

The Next Chapter20:27Kyo Maclear on Unearthing

Shelagh Rogers talks to Kyo Maclear about the author's journey to self discovery in the memoir, Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Families Secrets.

Poetry:Xanax Cowboyby Hannah Green

Xanax Cowboyis a poetry collection that follows the adventures of the Xanax Cowboy, a pill-popping, whiskey drinking woman with a reputation like a rattlesnake.

Hannah Green is a Winnipeg-basedwriter and poetry editor. She wasa poetry finalist for the 2021 Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers.

Dazzling in its play with form, the book has an utterly original voice, hard-hitting, mordantly ironic, unsparing in its gaze on the self.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"Xanax Cowboytakes us on a grim and tender ride, exploring a journey through mental illness and addiction. Self-reflexive and contemporary in phrasing and sensibility, the book pairs, like the title itself, a dark coping mechanism of life with the bittersweet harrows of self-performance. Dazzling in its play with form, the book has an utterly original voice, hard-hitting, mordantly ironic, unsparing in its gaze on the self," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committeewas Mary Dalton, Moez Suraniand Gillian Sze.

LISTEN | Hannah Green and her dad, Chris, on her book Xanax Cowboy winning the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry:

As It Happens6:43Hannah Green and her dad, Chris, on her book Xanax Cowboy winning the Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry

Winnipeg-based writer Hannah Green won the 2023 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. She and her dad, Chris, who went viral for his adorable supportive t-shirt, spoke with Nil Kksal on As It Happens.

Drama:William Shakespeares As You Like It: A Radical Retellingby Cliff Cardinal

William Shakespeares As You Like It: A Radical Retellingis a subversive update to Shakespeare's classic with an Indigenous perspective. It balances bawdy humour and raw emotions to challenge Canada's relationship with Indigenous people.

Cliff Cardinal is a playwright and actor born on the Pine Ridge Reservation.His work has been recognized with the Buddies in Bad Times Vanguard Award for Risk and Innovation, the RBC Tarragon Emerging Playwright Award and theREVEAL Indigenous Arts Award. Cardinal has also written a play calledHuff & Stitch.

It spares no one, not even the performer himself.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"In a blistering indictment of the country we call Canada, Cliff Cardinal challenges us to ask ourselves what role we play and are prepared to play on the path forward. It spares no one, not even the performer himself. It's a rant, a fool, a stand-up routine and an angry personal essay full of humour, insights and surprises," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee wasAaron Bushkowsky, Tai Amy Grauman and Julie Tamiko Manning.

LISTEN | Cliff Cardinal on his playThe Land Acknowledgement, or As You Like it:

Q20:41Cliff Cardinal on his confrontational play The Land Acknowledgement, or As You Like It

Playwright Cliff Cardinal on subverting the audiences expectations, and laughing in the face of trauma.

Young people's literature text:The Probability of EverythingbySarah Everett

The Probability of Everythingfollows 11-year-old Kemi Carter, an avid fan of probability. When she sees an asteroid hovering over the sky, her perspective on everything changes. The asteroid has an 84.7 per cent chance of colliding with Earth in four days. Is she the only one who feels like the world is ending?

Sarah Everett is an author of several books for teens, currently based in Alberta.Her debut novel isSome Other Now.

Seamlessly moving between the poetic and the grounded, Everett weaves a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale that lingers.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"Seamlessly moving between the poetic and the grounded, Everett weaves a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale that lingers.By the time readers reach the emotional climax of this surprising, powerful and beautifully written novel, they'll be inclined to return to the beginning and read it again from the perspective of someone who knows what's coming," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee wasCheryl Foggo, June Hurand Tom Ryan.

Young people's literature illustrated books:When You Can Swimby Jack Wong

When You Can Swimis a picture book that encourages children to overcome their fears of the water. In the book, an adult explains to a young girl the joys and surprises of swimming.

When You Can Swimis for ages 4 to 8.

• Halifax artist encourages kids to overcome fears of swimming in new book

Jack Wong is a Halifax-based author and illustrator who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Vancouver.When You Can Swimis his first book.

A vibrant ode to swimming where joy is yours for the taking as soon as you jump in, When You Can Swimtransforms fear into a rushing wave of eager anticipation.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"A vibrant ode to swimming where joy is yours for the taking as soon as you jump in,When You Can Swimtransforms fear into a rushing wave of eager anticipation. The sumptuous use of colour and texture brings water to life in an array of settings, depicting it as a central character in a wondrous celebration of the breadth of a child's abilities. It especially reaches out to those who have historically been excluded from learning to swim," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee was Marianne Ferrer,Lee Edward Fdi and Mahak Jain.

Translation:Rosas Very Own Personal Revolutionby ric Dupont, translated by Peter McCambridge

Rosas Very Own Personal Revolutionfollows the story of Rosa Ost,who grows up inNotre-Dame-du-Cachalot, as she moves from her tiny village to the big city of Montreal. It's an adventure filled withlong journeys and unsettling dreams, proving that revolutions in Quebec aren't always quiet.

• Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Eric Dupont on staying in tune to writeSongs for the Cold of Heart

Peter McCambridge is a literary translator originally from Ireland, now based in Quebec City. He also translated Eric Dupont'sSongs for the Cold of Heart, originallyLa fiance amricaine,that was onthe 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlistand was a finalist for the2018 Governor General's Literary Award for translation.

Eric Dupontis an author, teacher and translator from Montreal. His French-language novelLa Logeusewon the Radio-Canada's version ofCanada Reads,Combats des livres. He was a finalist for both the Prix littraire France-Qubec and the Prix des cinq continents. He was the winner of thePrix littraire des collgiensand thePrix des libraires.

This rare feat of literary translation is a seamless, highly readable and wonderfully inventive work in its own right.- 2023 peer assessment committee

"Peter McCambridge's translation,Rosa's Very Own Personal Revolution, brilliantly renders ric Dupont's vibrant literary universe and rollicking story of an innocent young woman from the Gasp Peninsula catapulted into turn-of-the-millenium Montral. This rare feat of literary translation is a seamless, highly readable and wonderfully inventive work in its own right," the peer assessment committee said in a statement.

The peer assessment committee wasBilal Hashmi, Melissa Bull and Pablo Strauss.