Book Prize season launched - not much history so far

The first of the literary prize shortlists reminds us it is time to start considering the notable Canadian history titles of the year. The Writers' Trust non-fiction shortlist, just announced, leans to memoir more than history, with Ross King's study of the Group of Seven looking (I ain't read any of 'em, mores the pity) like the most "historical" of the works.  G-Gs and Charles Taylor nominations yet to come.

WRITERS’ TRUST NON-FICTION PRIZE ($25,000)

The jury of Hadani Ditmars, Sid Marty, and Michael Mitchell read 84 titles submitted by 44 publishers. Each finalist for this prize receives $2,500.

• James FitzGerald for What Disturbs Our Blood: A Son’s Quest to Redeem the Past, Random House Canada
• Ross King for Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, Douglas & McIntyre/McMichael Canadian Art Collection
• Sarah Leavitt for Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me, Freehand Books
• John Theberge and Mary Theberge for The Ptarmigan’s Dilemma: An Exploration into How Life Organizes and Supports Itself, McClelland & Stewart
• Merrily Weisbord for The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das, McGill-Queen's University Press