We are pleased to congratulate André Alexis on winning Canada Reads 2017 for his novel Fifteen Dogs! Since its inception in 2002, the program has invited academic interest from many publications, Canadian Literature included. Editor-in-chief Laura Moss asks:
Why is it imperative that we, those who work on and in Canadian literature, take [Canada Reads] seriously? As a public presentation of a literature that is depicted as coming of age, Canada Reads has helped to open up Canadian literary works to a large market. Over the three years, it has brought eighteen writers’ names into prominence in the public domain. (Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel are listed twice.) It has become an important indicator of public support of the literary arts in Canada.
—Laura Moss, Canada Reads in Canadian Literature 182
With these assertions in mind, we published a special issue on the program in 2007. Other critical works on Canada Reads from our journal include:
- “Canada Reads.”(PDF) By Laura Moss. #182 (Autumn 2004): 6–10.
- “Listening to the Readers of Canada Reads.” (PDF) By Danielle Fuller. #193 (Summer 2007): 11–34.
- “Lullabies for Literature: An Interview with Heather O’Neill.” (HTML) By Kristin McHale. #193 (Summer 2007): 175–177.
- “A Book that All Canadians Should be Proud to Read: Canada Reads and Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road.” By Anouk Lang. #215 (Winter 2012): 120–36.
We invite you to take a look at the critical works that have been published on this annual battle of the books, as well as our review of the winning novel by Hilary Turner. Happy readings!