TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - David Szalay's All That Man Is and Madeleine Thien's Do Not Say We Have Nothing, both published by imprints of Penguin Random House Canada, have been shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize. The announcement was made in London this morning on behalf of a panel of five judges comprised of Chair Amanda Foreman along with Jon Day, Abdulrazak Gurnah, David Harsent and Olivia Williams.
Published by Knopf Canada, Do Not Say We Have Nothing was acquired and edited by Publishing Director Lynn Henry. "From the very beginning, this novel has felt special," says Henry. "Much like the bold character of Big Mother Knife in its pages, Do Not Say We Have Nothing is a truly large-hearted, capacious and generous book that also manages to be haunting and intimate. All of us at Knopf Canada are tremendously proud of Maddie and of this recognition from the Man Booker Prize."
Since its June publication, Thien's novel, which has also been longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, has received extensive critical acclaim. The Vancouver Sun says "It's rare to encounter a new literary novel with the sweep and scope of Do Not Say We Have Nothing. It's no exaggeration to say the reading experience is reminiscent of some of the great Russians: Dostoevsky, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn," while The Globe and Mail says "Should any doubt remain, Do Not Say We Have Nothing cements Madeleine Thien as one of Canada's most talented novelists."
Published by McClelland & Stewart, All That Man Is was acquired by the late Ellen Seligman. Publisher Jared Bland says "We at McClelland & Stewart are thrilled to see David's brilliant book recognized, and to know it sits on a shortlist with these other outstanding titles. We're so proud that such a young and vibrant writer, who is just entering his prime, is already in the running for the world's most prestigious literary award."
Szalay's novel, a complex portrayal of twenty-first-century masculinity, has received glowing reviews. The Globe and Mail says that it's "one of the most shattering fictional examinations of mortality in recent memory." Maclean's says: "Szalay locates the souls of his characters and renders them both palpable and fascinating." And The Quill and Quire says "Szalay's collection is beautifully built, winding up with passages of such humane delicacy."
David Szalay and Madeleine Thien will each tour to major literary festivals and bookstores across Canada this fall.
SOURCE Penguin Random House Canada Limited
Image with caption: "Penguin Random House Canada (CNW Group/Penguin Random House Canada Limited)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C2297_PHOTO_EN_771312.jpg
Image with caption: "ALL THAT MAN IS by David Szalay (CNW Group/Penguin Random House Canada Limited)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C2297_PHOTO_EN_771314.jpg
Image with caption: "DO NOT SAY WE HAVE NOTHING by Madeleine Thien (CNW Group/Penguin Random House Canada Limited)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C2297_PHOTO_EN_771316.jpg
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact: For David Szalay, Max Arambulo at 416-957-1593 or [email protected]; For Madeleine Thien, Stephen Myers at 416.928.2420 or [email protected]
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