Prize watch: Political books

Cohen

The Writers' Trust announces the shortlist for the Shaughnessy Cohen prize for political writing:  Ron Graham on Trudeau and the constitutional battles, the Nemnis on Trudeau's apprenticeship, Richard Gwyn on John A., Andrew Nikiforuk on the spruce beetle crisis, and Jacques Poitras on the border.

The Cohen jurors sometimes seem unclear on whether this is a political-book prize or just a general non-fiction/current events/history prize.  (Not much of a look-in for political scientists writing about politics!) But Nikiforuk and Poitras are both such good writers that one can see why the panel could not resist them.  And of course: everything is political.  A stellar list of writers this year, in fact.

Shaughnessy Cohen was a Member of Parliament who collapsed and died in the House of Commons in 1998.