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Journey: Celebrating the Journey Prize: Selected Stories 1989-2023
A landmark special edition celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Journey Prize.
Since its inception in 1989, the Journey Prize anthology has been widely celebrated for introducing readers to a who’s-who of up-and-coming Canadian literary voices, many of whom have gone on to become some of our most beloved writers. This special thirty-fifth-anniversary edition of Canada’s most prestigious annual fiction anthology gathers thirty-one timeless stories from throughout the prize’s history—some contemporary classics, some hidden gems—as chosen by two modern masters of the short story, Souvankham Thammavongsa and Alexander MacLeod, who are themselves previous Journey Prize contributors.
After her Olympic ski-jumper husband lifts off but never comes down, a woman counters the world’s doubts with her own leap of faith. A daughter reflects on the simple ritual she shared with her father—and the moment when her unconditional love for him was called into question. An Indigenous Elder recounts an alternative creation story of Ah-damn and Evening to a trio of anthropologists. After months of trying to sell the worthless sports card collection his no-good father left behind, a boy is unprepared for a bizarre encounter with the “pile of human being” who wants to buy a card to complete his collection. A mother and child contend with the strange after-effects of an unusual multi-course meal. Infighting, blatant favouritism, and judging irregularities mar a living-room beauty pageant as four sisters vie for the title of Miss Canada. A carpet collector reimagines his family’s fractured history by weaving new tapestries to tell their stories. The last words of a fifty-year-old pet parakeet leads to the first in a series of unfortunate events.
Marvellously eclectic, constantly surprising, and full of vibrant life, these glittering stories speak to the power of the short story and the extraordinary impact the Journey Prize continues to make on Canadian literature. Journey is a gift for readers and writers alike.
Featuring an introduction by the editors, and stories by André Alexis, Michael Christie, Alicia Elliott, Jessica Grant, Kevin Hardcastle, Angélique Lalonde, Annabel Lyon, Thomas King, Téa Mutonji, Saleema Nawaz, Heather O'Neill, Eden Robinson, Naben Ruthnum, and Madeleine Thien, among others.
Since its inception in 1989, the Journey Prize anthology has been widely celebrated for introducing readers to a who’s-who of up-and-coming Canadian literary voices, many of whom have gone on to become some of our most beloved writers. This special thirty-fifth-anniversary edition of Canada’s most prestigious annual fiction anthology gathers thirty-one timeless stories from throughout the prize’s history—some contemporary classics, some hidden gems—as chosen by two modern masters of the short story, Souvankham Thammavongsa and Alexander MacLeod, who are themselves previous Journey Prize contributors.
After her Olympic ski-jumper husband lifts off but never comes down, a woman counters the world’s doubts with her own leap of faith. A daughter reflects on the simple ritual she shared with her father—and the moment when her unconditional love for him was called into question. An Indigenous Elder recounts an alternative creation story of Ah-damn and Evening to a trio of anthropologists. After months of trying to sell the worthless sports card collection his no-good father left behind, a boy is unprepared for a bizarre encounter with the “pile of human being” who wants to buy a card to complete his collection. A mother and child contend with the strange after-effects of an unusual multi-course meal. Infighting, blatant favouritism, and judging irregularities mar a living-room beauty pageant as four sisters vie for the title of Miss Canada. A carpet collector reimagines his family’s fractured history by weaving new tapestries to tell their stories. The last words of a fifty-year-old pet parakeet leads to the first in a series of unfortunate events.
Marvellously eclectic, constantly surprising, and full of vibrant life, these glittering stories speak to the power of the short story and the extraordinary impact the Journey Prize continues to make on Canadian literature. Journey is a gift for readers and writers alike.
Featuring an introduction by the editors, and stories by André Alexis, Michael Christie, Alicia Elliott, Jessica Grant, Kevin Hardcastle, Angélique Lalonde, Annabel Lyon, Thomas King, Téa Mutonji, Saleema Nawaz, Heather O'Neill, Eden Robinson, Naben Ruthnum, and Madeleine Thien, among others.
- GenresShort Stories
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2024
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Various
455k books1,340 followersVarious is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.
Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.
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January 27, 2025Ah, this book bums me out.
Page after page after page of author blurbs “celebrating the Journey Prize” (really, writers talking about themselves; all the usual CanLit suspects, weighing in) -- and this collection won’t make it much further than the small circle of cultural elites that produce our literature.
This book is a really good example of what is wrong with Canadian literature.
Here's the problem with Canadian literature, as I see it:
Most literary fiction in Canada is so watered down, so generic in its conformity to the expectations of identity politics in publishing programs, it ends up being read by no one.
Apparently, not even the authors who blurbed for this collection.
I mean, a single (that's ONE) rating in the first four months of release! That tells you all you need to know about the market for literary fiction, as it is practiced in this country today.
Page after page after page of author blurbs “celebrating the Journey Prize” (really, writers talking about themselves; all the usual CanLit suspects, weighing in) -- and this collection won’t make it much further than the small circle of cultural elites that produce our literature.
This book is a really good example of what is wrong with Canadian literature.
Here's the problem with Canadian literature, as I see it:
Most literary fiction in Canada is so watered down, so generic in its conformity to the expectations of identity politics in publishing programs, it ends up being read by no one.
Apparently, not even the authors who blurbed for this collection.
I mean, a single (that's ONE) rating in the first four months of release! That tells you all you need to know about the market for literary fiction, as it is practiced in this country today.
Displaying 1 of 1 review