Debut novel wins 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize

In Canada, Sean Michaels’ debut novel Us Conductors (Random House Canada) has won the C$100,000 (A$101,400) 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize, reports Publishers Weekly. The judges said Us Conductors ‘is based on the life of Lev Thermen, the Russian-born inventor of the Theremin, the most ethereal of musical instruments. As the narrative shifts countries and climates, from the glittery brightness of New York in the 1920s to the leaden cold of the Soviet Union under Stalin, the grace of Michaels’s style makes these times and places seem entirely new.’ The winning author receives national exposure via a live CBC television broadcast of the awards ceremony and the prize announcement typically results in an increase in book sales averaged more than 500%, which is nicknamed ‘the Giller effect’. Penguin Random House Canada president and CEO Brad Martin said the company was ordering a new print run of 50,000 hardcover copies. The prize money doubled this year from the previous amount of C$50,000 (A$50,700).

Category: International news