Canadian Literary Awards
1980s

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Winners of Canadian literary awards in the 1980s.

indicates a review is available for that book


1989


Arthur Ellis Awards

First Novel
John Brady – A Stone of the Heart
Nonfiction
Mick Lowe – Conspiracy of Brothers
Novel
Chris Scott – Jack

BC Book Prizes

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
Charles Lillard – Circling North
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Bill Schermbrucker – Mimosa
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize
Robin Ridington – Trail To Heaven
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
Celia Haig-Brown – Resistance and Renewal
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
Mary Ellen Collura – Sunny

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Sandra Birdsell – The Missing Child

Governor General's Literary Awards

Children's Literature
Diana Wieler – Bad Boy
Fiction
Paul Quarrington – Whale Music
Non-fiction
Robert Calder – Willie - The Life of W. Somerset Maugham
Poetry
Heather Spears – The Word for Sand

Études et essais
Lise Noël – L'Intolérance: une problématique générale
Littérature Jeunesse
Charles Montpetit – Temps mort
Poésie
Pierre Desruisseaux – Monème
Romans et nouvelles
Louis Hamelin – La Rage

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Joseph Kertes – Winter Tulips

Lorne Pierce Medal

Lorne Pierce Medal
Maurice Lemire

Writers Trust Awards

Marian Engel Award
Merna Summers
Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Stephane Poulin

1988


Arthur Ellis Awards

First Novel
Laurence Gough – The Goldfish Bowl
Nonfiction
Gary Ross – Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Moloney
Novel
Carol Shields – Swann: A Mystery

BC Book Prizes

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
Patricia Young – All I Ever Needed Was A Beautiful Room
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
George McWhirter – Cage
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize
P.K. Page – Brazilian Journal
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
W.A. Hagelund – Whalers No More
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
Nicola Morgan – Pride of Lions

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Rick Salutin – A Man of Little Faith

Governor General's Literary Awards

Children's Literature
Welwyn Wilton Katz – The Third Magic
Fiction
David Adams Richards – Nights Below Station Street
Non-fiction
Anne Collins – In the Sleep Room
Poetry
Erin Mouré – Furious

Études et essais
Patricia Smart – Écrire dans la maison du père
Littérature Jeunesse
Michèle Marineau – Cassiopée ou l'Été polonais
Poésie
Marcel Labine – Papiers d'épidémie
Romans et nouvelles
Jacques Folch-Ribas – Le Silence ou le Parfait Bonheur

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Paul QuarringtonKing Leary

Writers Trust Awards

Marian Engel Award
Edna Alford
Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Barbara Smucker

1987


Arthur Ellis Awards

First Novel
Medora Sale – Murder on the Run
Nonfiction
Elliott Leyton – Hunting Humans
Novel
Edward O. Phillips – Buried on Sunday

BC Book Prizes

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
Diana Hartog – Candy From Strangers
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Leona Gom – Housebroken
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize
Doris Shadbolt – Bill Reid
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
Ruth Kirk – Wisdom of the Elders
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
Sarah EllisThe Baby Project

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Marion Quednau – The Butterfly Chair

Governor General's Literary Awards

Children's Literature
Morgan Nyberg – Galahad Schwartz and the Cockroach Army
Fiction
M.T. Kelly – A Dream Like Mine
Non-fiction
Michael Ignatieff – The Russian Album
Poetry
Gwendolyn MacEwen – Afterworlds

Études et essais
Jean Larose – La petite noirceur
Littérature Jeunesse
David Schinkel et Yves Beauchesne – Le Don
Poésie
Fernand Ouellette – Les Heures
Romans et nouvelles
Gilles Archambault – L'obsédante obèse et autres agressions

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
W.P. Kinsella – The Fencepost Chronicles

Writers Trust Awards

Marian Engel Award
Audrey Thomas
Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Robert Munsch

1986


Arthur Ellis Awards

Nonfiction
Maggie Siggins – A Canadian Tragedy
Novel
Eric Wright – Death in the Old Country

BC Book Prizes

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize
Joe Rosenblatt – Poetry Hotel
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Keath Fraser – Foreign Affairs
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize
Bruce Hutchison – The Unfinished Country
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
Donald Graham – Keepers of the Light

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Karen Lawrence – The Life of Helen Alone

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Alice MunroThe Progress of Love
Non-fiction
Northrop Frye – Northrop Frye on Shakespeare
Poetry
Al Purdy – The Collected Poems of Al Purdy

Études et essais
Régine Robin – Le réalisme socialiste: une esthétique impossible
Poésie
Cécile Cloutier – L'écouté
Romans et nouvelles
Yvon Rivard – Les silences du corbeau

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Joey Slinger – No Axe Too Small to Grind

Lorne Pierce Medal

Lorne Pierce Medal
Rudy Wiebe

Writers Trust Awards

Marian Engel Award
Alice Munro
Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Dennis Lee

1985


Arthur Ellis Awards

Nonfiction
Martin Friedland – The Trials of Israel Lipsky
Novel
Howard Engel – Murder Sees the Light

BC Book Prizes

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Audrey Thomas – Intertidal Life
Hubert Evans Non-fiction Prize
David Ricardo Williams – Duff
Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize
Hilary Stewart – Cedar

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Wayne Johnston – The Story of Bobby O'Malley

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid's Tale
Non-fiction
Ramsay Cook – The Regenerators: Social Criticism in Late Victorian English Canada
Poetry
Fred Wah – Waiting for Saskatchewan

Études et essais
François Ricard – La littérature contre elle-même
Poésie
André Roy – Action writing
Romans et nouvelles
Fernand Ouellette – Lucie ou un midi en novembre

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Ted Allen – Love is a Longshot

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Edith Fowke

1984


Arthur Ellis Awards

Novel
Eric Wright – The Night the Gods Smiled

Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Geoffrey Ursell – Perdue: Or How the West Was Lost

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Josef Skvorecky – The Engineer of Human Souls
Non-fiction
Sandra Gwyn – The Private Capital: Ambition and Love in the Age of Macdonald and Laurier
Poetry
Paulette Jiles – Celestial Navigation

Études et essais
Jean Hamelin et Nicole Gagnon – Le XXe Siècle: Histoire du catholicisme québécois
Poésie
Nicole Brossard – Double Impression
Romans et nouvelles
Jacques Brault – Agonie

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Gary Lautens – No Sex Please...We're Married

Lorne Pierce Medal

Lorne Pierce Medal
Sheila Watson

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Bill Freeman

1983


Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Heather Robertson – Willie: A Romance

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Leon Rooke – Shakespeare's Dog
Non-fiction
Jeffery Williams – Byng of Vimy
Poetry
David Donnell – Settlements

Études et essais
Maurice Cusson – Le contrôle social du crime
Poésie
Suzanne Paradis – Un goût de sel
Romans et nouvelles
Suzanne Jacob – Laura Laur

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Morley Torgov – The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Claire Mackay

1982


Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
W.P. Kinsella – Shoeless Joe

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Guy Vanderhaeghe – Man Descending
Non-fiction
Christopher Moore – Louisbourg Portraits: Life in an Eighteenth- Century Garrison Town
Poetry
Phyllis Webb – The Vision Tree: Selected Poems

Études et essais
Maurice Lagueux – Le marxisme des années soixante: une saison dans l'histoire de la pensée critique
Poésie
Michel Savard – Forages
Romans et nouvelles
Roger Fournier – Le cercle des arènes

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Mervyn J. Huston – Gophers Don't Pay Taxes

Lorne Pierce Medal

Lorne Pierce Medal
Malcolm M. Ross

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Janet Lunn

1981


Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
Joy Kogawa – Obasan

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
Mavis Gallant – Home Truths: Selected Canadian Stories
Non-fiction
George Calef – Caribou and the barren-lands
Poetry
F.R. Scott – The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott

Études et essais
Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska – L'échappée des discours de l'oeil
Poésie
Michel Beaulieu – Visages
Romans et nouvelles
Denys Chabot – La province lunaire

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Gary Lautens – Take My Family...Please!

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
Monica Hughes

1980


Books in Canada First Novel Award

Books in Canada First Novel Award
W.D. Valgardson – Gentle Sinners

Governor General's Literary Awards

Fiction
George Bowering – Burning Water
Non-fiction
Jeffrey Simpson – Discipline of Power: The Conservative Interlude and the Liberal Restoration
Poetry
Stephen Scobie – McAlmon's Chinese Opera

Études et essais
Maurice Champagne-Gilbert – La famille et l'homme à délivrer du pouvoir
Poésie
Michel Van Schendel – De l'oeil et de l'écoute
Romans et nouvelles
Pierre Turgeon – La première personne

Leacock Medal for Humour

Leacock Medal for Humour
Donald Jack – Me Bandy, You Cissie

Lorne Pierce Medal

Lorne Pierce Medal
Antonine Maillet

Writers Trust Awards

Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature
John Craig