The Ottawa Book Award and Prix Du Livre d’Ottawa winners were announced at a ceremony at Ottawa City Hall on Oct. 18. Among the winners was Carleton’s own Charlotte Gray, an adjunct research professor in the department of history. Her book, The Promise of Canada: 150 Years—People and Ideas That Have Shaped Our Country, claimed a victory in the English non-fiction category.
The awards set out to recognize authors living in Ottawa on an outstanding piece of work that they wrote the previous year.
Gray’s book centers around the idea of Canada as a whole after Confederation. It encompasses what it is to be Canadian, but also the heritage and history that Canada has.
All the finalists had their books reviewed by a jury of fellow authors, who then determined who the winner in each category would be.
Gray said via email that having a jury recognize her work is extremely gratifying.
“Whether it is your first or tenth book, the thrill is the same . . . there are people out there who care about what you have written,” she said. “The Ottawa [Book] Award means a lot to me.”
This is not the first time Gray has been recognized for her work. In 2007, Gray received another Ottawa Book Award for her biography Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell.
Gray said that she was not aware that she would be the recipient of the award for the second time in her career.
“I was thrilled and surprised when I heard at the Awards ceremony that I had won,” she said. “In previous years, the winner had been notified in advance. Since I had heard nothing, I assumed someone else had won.”
“The shortlist was strong; any of the books could have been a winner,” she added.
Upon hearing she had won the award, Gray gave a “short, impromptu speech.” She had been told to read an excerpt if she won, and she said she didn’t even bring a copy of the book with her.
Other categories included in the Ottawa Book Awards are English fiction, French fiction, and French non-fiction.
The recipient of the English fiction awards was John Metcalf and his collection of short stories, The Museum at the End of the World, compiled into one book.
The award for French fiction went to Andrée Christensen for her poetry book, Épines d’encre.
In an odd turn of events, there was no recipient for the French non-fiction award, as there was an insufficient number of entries.
The winner of each category received a $7,500 prize.
