TORONTO — Works by Miriam Toews, Hannah Moscovitch and Kim Fu are among the finalists for this year’s Governor General’s Literary Awards.

Toews’ memoir “A Truce That Is Not Peace” is one of five books up for the English-language non-fiction prize. Toews explores the question, “why do you write?” in the book while reflecting on the suicides of her sister and father. The Toronto-based writer previously won the Governor General’s fiction prize for her 2004 novel “A Complicated Kindness.”

The Canada Council for the Arts named 69 finalists across seven categories in English and French on Wednesday. The 14 winners, who each receive $25,00, will be announced on Nov. 12.

Moscovitch is nominated in the drama category for her play “Red Like Fruit,” which follows a journalist covering a high-profile domestic violence case while a sense of unease pervades her thoughts. The Halifax playwright, who is also a writer for the AMC television series, “Interview with the Vampire,” previously won the Governor General’s drama prize in 2021 for “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes.”

Fu is among the five finalists for the English-language fiction prize for her novel “The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts” about a woman unraveling in the aftermath of her mother’s death. The Vancouver-born writer was previously a finalist for the Giller Prize in 2022 for her short story collection “Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century.”

Also nominated in the fiction category is Sharon Bala for her novel “Good Guys” about the dark side of philanthropy and Sara Peters for her novel “Mother of God” about a woman with psychic powers who returns home to see her estranged mother. Rounding out the fiction finalists is Nina Dunic for “Suddenly Light” and Kate Cayley for “Property.”

The Governor General’s Literary Awards, which celebrates homegrown literature, will also hand out honours for poetry, writing and illustration in young people’s literature, as well as French-to-English translation. There are separate French-language categories for francophone writing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2026.