Titles by Richler, Simpson among finalists for John W. Dafoe Book Prize

WINNIPEG – Canadian journalists Noah Richler and Jeffrey Simpson are among the finalists for this year’s John W. Dafoe Book Prize for non-fiction.

Toronto-based Richler made the short list for the $10,000 honour for “What We Talk About When We Talk About War” (Goose Lane Editions), which was recently a finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

In recent months the polemic has also been on the short list for the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and a Governor General’s Literary Award.

Meanwhile, Ottawa-based Simpson is a John W. Dafoe prize contender for “Chronic Condition: Why Canada’s Health Care System needs to be dragged into the 21st Century” (Allen Lane Canada), which was also up for the Charles Taylor award.

The John W. Dafoe short list is rounded out by: Mary Janigan for “Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark: The West Versus the Rest Since Confederation” (Knopf Canada); Ian McKay and Jamie Swift for “Warrior Nation: Rebranding Canada in an Age of Anxiety” (Between the Lines Press); and Reg Whitaker, Gregory S. Kealey and Andrew Parnaby for “Secret Service: Political Policing in Canada from the Fenians to Fortress America” (University of Toronto Press).

The winner of the prize, named after the esteemed Canadian editor, will be announced later this spring and collect the award at a dinner in May.