The Giller Award ceremony was protested last fall in Toronto. The name 'Scotiabank' was removed from the prize before last year’s award.Eduardo Lima/The Canadian Press
Utterly predictable, and yet still so sad. This is not a review of a new Canadian novel, but an apt description of the state of the Giller Prize.
This week, executive director Elana Rabinovitch asked some high-profile cultural types to support a planned request for $5-million over three years from Ottawa. “If we don’t receive federal funding, the Giller Prize and Giller Foundation will be forced to shut its doors by the end of this year,” it stated.
The Giller Prize is arguably the most prestigious prize in Canadian literature. At $100,000 for the winner and $10,000 for each shortlisted author, it is lucrative – and translates to a concrete sales bump, known in the industry as the Giller effect.
But the once-beloved prize has fallen from grace in some eyes, including the opinions of a number of former winners who have benefited from the award.
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In November, 2023, the glitzy ceremony, broadcast live, was interrupted by protesters holding signs stating “Scotiabank Funds Genocide.”
Their beef was not with the Giller itself, but its lead sponsor’s investment ties to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, through its subsidiary 1832 Asset Management.
That year was meant to celebrate the 30th edition of what was then the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Heading into it, there was much praise for what the prize had done for CanLit and individual authors.
“It was life-changing in every conceivable way,” Omar El Akkad told me about his 2021 Giller win for What Strange Paradise.
“I’m not 100-per-cent sure that I would have a career as a writer today if it weren’t for the Giller. It saved my career.”
But there was a sadness in that October, 2023, interview as we discussed what was happening in Gaza and Israel and how it affected us personally. Who felt like celebrating, given what was going on? Mr. El Akkad did not attend the ceremony.
A few days after the 2023 event, an open letter called for charges against the protesters to be dropped. It was signed by more than 2,000 people, including that year’s winner, Sarah Bernstein.
Then in 2024, dozens of authors signed a new open letter stating they would not submit their books for Giller consideration. It called for divestment not just from Scotiabank, but also Indigo, Canada’s largest bookstore chain.
Two jurors resigned.
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Prominent in the campaign have been Mr. El Akkad and another former winner, Madeleine Thien – widely admired and respected for both their craft and their kindness.
As authors and others posted on social media about the Giller, Ms. Rabinovitch was also posting – specifically calling out Ms. Thien and Mr. El Akkad, at times.
It was ugly. There’s no other word for it.
Ms. Rabinovitch has worked tirelessly to promote CanLit in general, and these authors specifically. She had broken bread with them, as she stated.
Who wouldn’t feel utterly betrayed by this?
There has been a feeling in some circles that this isn’t just about Scotiabank’s military investments. Was antisemitism at play? The prize was created by Jewish philanthropist Jack Rabinovitch and Indigo is led by Heather Reisman and Gerald Schwartz, also Jewish. (The protest against Indigo relates to a charity the couple runs that provides scholarships to former lone soldiers in the Israeli army.)
If the problem was Scotiabank’s sponsorship, why wasn’t this energy being directed more vigorously at the bank itself, rather than the literary award it sponsored?
Sponsored, past tense. The name “Scotiabank” was removed from the prize before last year’s award. Then the funding agreement ended ahead of schedule, early this year.
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Deep-pocketed institutions don’t sponsor culture to get embroiled in controversy. Who wants to pay all that money only to get booed and a PR black eye?
Who would want to sponsor the prize now? As the Giller people are finding out, what organization with that kind of money wants to risk being drawn into this drama? Which financial institution wants people scouring its records for any connection to Israel, followed by angry taunts and tweets?
So now, the Giller wants the government to rescue it. Ha. In this economy? Ottawa is currently looking to cut spending. The federally funded Canada Council for the Arts already supports the Governor-General’s Literary Awards. And no doubt the Canada Council will also be looking for funding cuts. If Ottawa has more for CanLit, there are some struggling Canadian writers, publishers and independent bookstores that might like a word (and some cash). The arts are struggling right now, period – including the CanLit ecosystem. With fewer book reviews, and festivals under financial pressure, the Giller was a rare success story.
Maybe the Giller reinvents itself, ditches the splashy gala, the pricey author tours. Maybe the prize money is reduced. Maybe the Giller folds, altogether.
That would be a big loss. And a very sad ending, indeed.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that a subsidiary of Scotiabank has holdings in the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.