The Shaughnessy Cohen, a prize for political writing that has been going several years now, has announced a shortlist of five books.
John English, Citizen of the World, the first part of his Trudeau biography
Allan Gotlieb, The Washington Diaries 1981-89
Carol Off, Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World's Most Seductive Sweet
Eddie Goldenberg, The Way It Works: Inside Ottawa
Max and Monique Nemni, Young Trudeau, Son of Quebec, Father of Canada
Actually, five pretty interesting titles. Two Trudeau books and two by Ottawa insiders make this what Washington DC would call an "inside-the-beltway" list (a "sound of the Peace Tower bells" list?). But they have all had a good response among reviews I've seen, and the list conveys a sound idea of what "political writing" is, I think.
$15,000 to one of them on February 28, 2007 at the Politics and the Pen Dinner in Ottawa -- an event I was once invited to and have thought of fondly ever since, since it remains the only time I have heard of, let along shared in, an formal dinner and literary celebration right in the rotunda of Centre Block on Parliament Hill.
The prize is administered by the wonderful Writers' Trust, which is holding its main book prizes night on March 7 in Toronto.
