Writers’ Trust has unveiled its finalists contending for one of Canada’s most sought-after literary prizes in its 2024 edition. Among these exceptional finalists is Canadian-Egyptian author Éric Chacour.
In no particular order, here are the five finalists chosen from a wide pool of talented writers:
- Éric Chacour – What I Know About You (Coach House Books)
- Conor Kerr – Prairie Edge (Strange Light)
- Sheung-King – Batshit Seven (Penguin Random House Canada)
- Canisia Lubrin – Code Noir (Knopf Canada)
- Fawn Parker – Hi, It’s Me (McClelland & Stewart)
Éric Chacour was born in Quebec, Canada, to immigrant parents from Egypt. He spent his childhood in both Quebec and France, and studied economics at university. His debut novel Ce que je sais de toi (What I Know About You) was published in 2023.
Named in honour of Writers’ Trust co-founders and literary couple Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, who started the organisation in 1976 with the help of a few fellow writers and an aim to encourage a Canadian literary culture at home, the Atwood Gibson Prize recognizes writers of exceptional talent for the best novel or short story collection of the year.
The award is generously funded by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Jim Balsillie.
The finalists are selected by a three-member, independent judging panel and the $60,000 winner is announced at the annual Writers’ Trust Awards. Each of the other remaining finalists will walk away with a $5000 cash prize.
The Awards will take place on the 19th of November 2024, and will be live streamed from the ceremony taking place in Toronto, CA.
Congratulations, Éric!
Visit the Writer’s Trust Award website for more information.
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
