Canada Council for the Arts announces the finalists for the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Awards

"The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the finalists for the 2009 Governor General's Literary Awards. The finalists include authors, illustrators and translators from ages 27 to 78. The English and French awards are in the categories of fiction, non‑fiction, poetry, drama, children's literature (text and illustration) and translation. In total, 70 books are shortlisted. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Canada Council involvement with the Governor General's Literary Awards. A total of 1,541 eligible books were submitted for this year's awards. Thirty-eight of the 75 finalists are nominated for the first time. At least seven of the finalists are under the age of 35 and three of the finalists are aboriginal. A sense of belonging, family, war and religion are themes that figure prominently in several of the books"