Canada-Japan Literary Awards Ceremony

 

The Reading List by Leslie Shimotakahara

Coma by François Gilbert

 

The 2012 Canada-Japan Literary Awards Ceremony was held at the Ambassador’s residence on February 22nd. 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 English-language Prize (R to L: Ms. Leslie Shimotakahara, Ambassador Ishikawa and Mr. Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of Canada Council for the Arts)

The French-language Prize (Right: Mr. François Gilbert)

 

 

 

For the English prize, Ms. Leslie Shimotakahara, author of The Reading List (Variety Crossing press) received this year’s award. The prize for the French category was awarded to Mr. François Gilbert who wrote Coma (Leméac Éditeur). Ambassador Ishikawa and Mr. Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, together presented the certificates and prizes to the laureates. Mr. Dae-Tong Huh and Mr. Pierre Filion, publishers of the English and French works respectively, were also presented with certificates to honour their efforts.

 

The laureates and participants

 

Ambassador Ishikawa, in his remarks, congratulated the authors for the remarkable accomplishment of receiving this award for their first books and expressed appreciation for their works which express the richness of cultural exchange between Canada and Japan. He also said that Canada and Japan share many values and experiences, and Canadian multiculturalism is enhanced by Canadians of Japanese descent and many Canadians who were interested in Japanese culture. He further reiterated that their links to each other also contribute to the strong friendship between Canada and Japan.

 

*The funds for the Canada-Japan Literary awards are financed in part by the Canada-Japan Fund, created in 1988 by the Government of Japan to further strengthen and promote the ties between the arts communities of the two countries. The Canada Council for the Arts administers the Awards.