Book by Edmonton author selected as one of Canada's best this year

Dr. Norma Dunning's book Tainna: The Unseen Ones won in the fiction category for 2021 English-language winners. (Source: Canada Council for the Arts)

EDMONTON — An Edmonton author's book has been selected as one of the 14 best books published in Canada in 2021, winning the Governor General's Literary Award.

Dr. Norma Dunning's book Tainna: The Unseen Ones published by Douglas & McIntyre won in the fiction category for 2021 English-language winners.

The book brings together six short stories centred on modern-day Inuk characters.

Dunning is a writer, scholar, researcher, and professor at the University of Alberta.

The 14 winners are chosen from the top 70 finalists by peer assessment committees. There are seven categories in both English and French including fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction.

Each winner receives $25,000 and the publisher receives $3,000 to promote the winning book. Each of the finalists receives $1,000.

“This year's Governor General's Literary Awards confirm the irresistible evocative power of literature. The health and societal challenges we have undergone have highlighted the renewed importance of imagination, reflection and critical thinking," said Simon Brault, Director and CEO of Canada Council for the Arts.

Winners of the 2020 Governor General's Literary Awards were announced this year as well due to the pandemic. The Canada Council for the Arts expects to return to its regular announcement schedule in 2022.

A full list of this year's winners can be found online.

The Canada Council for the Arts has funded the awards since 1959.