1998 Governor General's Awards Explained

The winners of the 1998 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts on November 17 in Ottawa.^[1] Each winner received a cheque for $10,000.^[2]

English

width=15%	Category	width=30%	Winner	width=55%	Nominated
Fiction	Diane Schoemperlen, Forms of Devotion	Lynn Coady, Strange Heaven Barbara Gowdy, The White Bone Wayne Johnston, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams Kerri Sakamoto, The Electrical Field
Non-fiction	David Adams Richards, Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi	Wayne Grady, The Quiet Limit of the World: A Journey to the North Pole to Investigate Global Warming Charlotte Gray, Mrs. King: The Life and Times of Isabel Mackenzie King Judy Schultz, Mamie's Children: Three Generations of Prairie Women Rudy Wiebe and Yvonne Johnson, Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman
Poetry	Stephanie Bolster, White Stone: The Alice Poems	Louise Bernice Halfe, Blue Marrow Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting Lisa Robertson, Debbie: An Epic Kathy Shaidle, Lobotomy Magnificat
Drama	Djanet Sears, Harlem Duet	Bruce McManus, Selkirk Avenue Richard Sanger, Not Spain Sandra Shamas, Sandra Shamas: A Trilogy of Performances David Young, Inexpressible Island
Children's literature	Janet Lunn, The Hollow Tree	Gayle Friesen, Janey's Girl Julie Johnston, The Only Outcast Janet McNaughton, Make or Break Spring Sarah Withrow, Bat Summer
Children's illustration	Kady MacDonald Denton, A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes	Victor Bosson, The Fox's Kettle Harvey Chan, Music for the Tsar of the Sea Zhong-Yang Huang, The Great Race Stéphane Jorisch, The Village of a Hundred Smiles and Other Stories
French to English translation	Sheila Fischman, Bambi and Me	Arnold Bennett, Voltaire's Man in America David Homel, The Second Fiddle Daniel Sloate, Aknos and Other Poems

French

width=15%	Category	width=30%	Winner	width=55%	Nominated
Fiction	Christiane Frenette, La Terre ferme	Marie-Célie Agnant, Le Silence comme le sang Madeleine Gagnon, Le Deuil du soleil Nancy Huston, L'Empreinte de l'ange Pierre Samson, Un garçon de compagnie
Non-fiction	Pierre Nepveu, Intérieurs du Nouveau Monde : Essais sur les littératures du Québec et des Amériques	Chantal Bouchard, La Langue et le Nombril : Histoire d'une obsession québécoise Marcel Olscamp, Le Fils du notaire Jacques Ferron 1921-1949 : Genèse intellectuelle d'un écrivain Régine Robin, Le Golem de l'écriture : De l'autofiction au Cybersoi Patricia Smart, Les Femmes du Refus global
Poetry	Suzanne Jacob, La Part de feu preceded by Le Deuil de la rancune	Hugues Corriveau, Le Livre du frère Hélène Dorion, Les Murs de la grotte Christine Richard, L'Eau des oiseaux Michel van Schendel, Bitumes
Drama	François Archambault, 15 secondes	Serge Boucher, Motel Hélène Olivier Choinière, Le Bain des raines Carole Fréchette, La Peau d'Élisa Suzanne Lebeau, L'Ogrelet
Children's literature	Angèle Delaunois, Variations sur un même «t'aime»	Guy Dessureault, Lettre de Chine Daniel Mativat, Terreur sur la Windigo Danielle Rochette, La Fugue d'Antoine Hélène Vachon, Le Cinéma de Somerset
Children's illustration	Pierre Pratt, Monsieur Ilétaitunefois	Stéphane Poulin, Petit zizi Alain Reno, Un tartare pour le bonhomme Sept Heures Yayo, Le Chasseur d'arc-en-ciel
English to French translation	Charlotte Melançon, Les Sources du moi : La Formation de l'identité moderne	Paule Noyart, Leonard Cohen : Le Canadien errant Hélène Rioux, Self

Notes and References

1. Anne-Marie Tobin, "Kingston author savours literary award". Kingston Whig-Standard, November 18, 1998.
2. "Montrealers deluge list of nominees". Montreal Gazette, October 21, 1998.