Johanna Skibsrud wins Canadian literature award

[November 10, 2010]  TORONTO (AP) -- Johanna Skibsrud, the daughter of a Vietnam war veteran who wrote a fictional book about a veteran, has won one of Canada's most prestigious literary awards.

Skibsrud won the Scotiabank Giller Prize on Tuesday night for her book "The Sentimentalists."

The novel tells the story of daughter's quest to learn the truth about her dying father's life. Skibsrud thanked her late father for sharing his stories with her.

Some bookstores in Canada have been unable to get the title in stock because it was hand-printed by a small Canadian publishing company that has refused to outsource to keep up with demand.

The C$50,000 prize created in 1994 honors Canadian fiction. Past winners have included Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler and Alice Munro.

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Online:

Giller Prize: http://www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca

[Associated Press]

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