B.C.’s Wade Davis is among the five authors who made the shortlist for the prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, announced in Toronto on Tuesday.
Davis’s “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest” was praised by the jury for linking “the devastating carnage and demoralization of the War to the transcendent aspiration of Mallory and his compatriots to ascend Everest. With skill and insight, Davis explores the meaning of this valorous yet tragic climb for post-war Britain and the world.”
The jury was composed of authors Allan M. Brandt and Stevie Cameron, and non-fiction publishing consultant Susan Renouf, who read 115 books submitted by 35 publishers from around the world.
The others who made the shortlist are Charlotte Gill for “Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe”; JJ Lee for “The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit”; Madeline Sonik for “Afflictions & Departures: Essays”; and Andrew Westoll for “The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery.”
The $25,000 prize is awarded annually to a Canadian author “whose book best demonstrates a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception,” according to a press release.
An award of $2,000 is provided for each finalist with promotional support for each shortlisted title.
Now in its 11th year, the prize commemorates the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada’s foremost essayists, a foreign correspondent, and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community whose dream was to raise the public profile of non-fiction.
The winner of the 2012 prize will be announced on March 5.
