Canadian authors Suzette Mayr and Emma Donoghue, pictured in her home town of London, Ont. on Sept. 6, 2016, have been shortlisted for the prestigious Dublin Literary Award.Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press
Two Canadian authors are among the six writers shortlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction.
Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue was nominated for her historical fiction novel, Haven (HarperCollins), while Suzette Mayr earned a nod for The Sleeping Car Porter (Coach House Books). Mayr’s novel also won the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and was a finalist for the 2023 Governor General’s Award for Fiction.
The Dublin Literary Award nominees, announced Tuesday, also include Irish author Sebastian Barry for Old God’s Time (Penguin Random House Canada); Romanian writer Mircea Cărtărescu for Solenoid (Deep Vellum Publishing), translated from Romanian by Sean Cotter; U.S. author Jonathan Escoffery for If I Survive You (Penguin Random House Canada); and Waanyi-Australian writer Alexis Wright for Praiseworthy (New Directions).
The winner of the 29th edition of the award will be announced by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, on May 23, as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin. The winner will receive €100,000 (C$147,000).
The Dublin Literary Award was established in 1994 and accepts nominations from libraries around the world. In previous years, the winners included Canadian authors Alistair MacLeod for No Great Mischief (McClelland & Stewart) and Rawi Hage for De Niro’s Game (House of Anansi Press).