Omar El Akkad wins $100K Giller Prize for ‘What Strange Paradise’

TORONTO — When Omar El Akkad heard his name called as this year’s winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, he says the first person he thought of was his father.

The Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist was awarded the $100,000 honour at a televised Toronto gala Monday night for his novel “What Strange Paradise.”

As he took to the stage of the Park Hyatt hotel to accept the award, El Akkad recounted a story his father told him about growing up in Cairo and seeing the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz holding court, giving him his first glimpse of “the writing life.”

In an interview after his speech, El Akkad said he was grateful he had the opportunity to recognize his father’s role in shaping his literary ambitions, even if he didn’t live to see that dream come to fruition.

“He’s the one who inspired me to pursue literature as a way of life,” El Akkad, 39, said, his voice trembling with emotion. “It was just a moment where I could just say how much he’s responsible for me standing there.”

El Akkad said he also shares the honour with his mother, who got to applaud his win from the audience after supporting him through losses of other prizes, and his wife, who has been taking care of their kids while he plays “boy author.”

“Everything I’ve ever won in my life is theirs, first and foremost,” the Portland, Ore.-based writer said. “You walk up to the stage alone, but you’re there with many, many people.”

“What Strange Paradise,” published by McClelland & Stewart, is a novel about two children caught in the global refugee crisis. The story alternates between the perspectives of Amir, a Syrian boy who survives a shipwreck on an unnamed island, and Vänna, the local teenage girl who saves him.

In their citation, the jury said the book “raises questions of indifference and powerlessness and, ultimately, offers clues as to how we might reach out empathetically in a divided world.”

Born in Egypt and raised in Qatar, El Akkad moved to Canada when he was 16, and went to high school in Montreal before attending Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. He lived in Toronto for about a decade, and did a stint in Ottawa as a Parliament Hill reporter.

His debut 2017 novel, “American War,” was a critical and commercial hit. The dystopian depiction of a near-future United States ravaged by climate change, disease and conflict over oil won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, the Oregon Book Award for fiction, and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

El Akkad said he doubted his sophomore effort would find similar acclaim. Even after “What Strange Paradise” made the Giller short list, he said the prospect of him winning the prize seemed far-fetched.

“I had only ever thought of the the actual award in the abstract. I didn’t think I would win,” said El Akkad, clutching his trophy in a daze. “Now I’m in this strange position where I have, and I’m trying my best to figure out a lot of things.”

Monday’s black-tie affair reinstated the Giller as the bash of the fall books season after last year’s celebration was held remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizers slashed the usual guest list by more than half to facilitate social distancing, and attendees were required to show proof of vaccination to take part in the festivities.

Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and poet Rupi Kaur co-hosted the CBC broadcast, which included performances by jazz artist Denzal Sinclaire and soprano Measha Brueggergosman.

Among the notable guests who graced the red carpet were literary legend Margaret Atwood, comedian Rick Mercer, actor Bilal Baig, former Ontario premier Bob Rae, 2019 Giller winner Ian Williams, author Catherine Hernandez and novelist and screenwriter John Irving.

While some attendees expressed concerns about feeling awkward at the event after nearly two years of social distancing, Atwood said she felt confident that it wouldn’t take long for people to refresh their conversational skills.

“You do forget, but then it all comes back,” she said with a laugh.

As the festivities got underway, Giller executive director Elana Rabinovitch said she wanted to savour every moment of the evening.

“I’m delighted it’s here. I’m sad it’s going to be over,” Rabinovitch said. “I’m trying to sort of eke every last moment with the (finalists), with the jury, with the whole vibe going on here tonight.”

This year’s runners-up, who each received $10,000, were: Angélique Lalonde, nominated for her story collection “Glorious Frazzled Beings,” published by House of Anansi; Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia for her novel “The Son of The House,” published by Dundurn Press; Jordan Tannahill for his novel “The Listeners,” published by HarperCollins Canada; and Miriam Toews for her novel “Fight Night,” published by Knopf Canada.

The short list was culled from 132 books submitted by publishers across Canada, said organizers.

Sitting on this year’s prize jury were Canadian authors Zalika Reid-Benta, Megan Gail Coles and Joshua Whitehead, as well as Malaysian novelist Tash Aw and U.S. author Joshua Ferris.

The Giller awards $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English.

The Giller was established by Jack Rabinovitch in 1994 in memory of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.

Last year’s winner was Souvankham Thammavongsa for “How to Pronounce Knife.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.

Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press