The Canada Council for the Arts announced today the winners of the 2010 Canada-Japan Literary Awards. The English-language winning work is Spirit of the Nikkei Fleet: BC’s Japanese Canadian Fishermen, a 130 year history written by Masako Fukawa with Stanley Fukawa, of Burnaby, B.C. The French-language winning work is D’âmes et d’ailes / of souls and wings, a collection of tanka in French and Englishby Janick Belleau of Longueuil, Que.
“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to all of the winners, past and present, of the Canada-Japan Literary Awards,” said His Excellency Kaoru Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan to Canada. “Our countries have many common interests, including a strong belief in multiculturalism. The award winners have promoted a deeper level of understanding and respect between the two countries and opened the way to expanding partnerships and new areas of cultural contact. On behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to express high appreciation to the Canada Council for the Arts for its diligence in managing and adjudicating this competition over the past 21 years.”
“This award would not exist without the long-term partnership developed between the Council and the Japanese Embassy,” added Council Director and CEO Robert Sirman. “We are proud to collaborate with the Embassy to honour these writers, whose works engage us in a deeper conversation about the similarities and differences of our cultures.”
The Canada-Japan Literary Awards recognize literary excellence by Canadian authors writing on Japan, Japanese themes or themes that promote mutual understanding between Japan and Canada. The funds for these awards come from the Japan-Canada Fund endowment dedicated to a literary award. The amount of $20,000 was available for this year’s award. Ms. and Mr. Fukawa will share $10,000 and Ms. Belleau will receive $10,000.
This year the jury members for the English-language book were Michael Crummey (St. John’s, N.L.), Sally Ito (Winnipeg) and Daniel MacIvor (Toronto). The jury members for the French‑language book were Ying Chen (Vancouver), Michèle Laframboise (Mississauga, Ont.) and Pierre Ouellet (Saint‑Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.).
More information here.
