Graphic novels are overlooked by book prizes, but that’s starting to change

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From The Conversation:

In the midst of a global pandemic, almost nothing is proceeding as normal. And yet, on a dim October morning, the Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist announcement went brightly, briefly and virtually streaming into homes and revealing the five books that had moved one step further towards winning Canada’s largest and arguably most prestigious literary award.

In some ways, however, this business as usual was a disappointment. After all, the Giller recently changed its submission guidelines to allow graphic novels to be submitted to the prize, and even more recently announced that a graphic novel was, indeed, included on the longlist — Clyde Fans, by highly acclaimed Canadian author and cartoonist Seth.

But after raking in praise and aplomb for featuring a graphic novel on its longlist for the first time, the Giller — like so many other book prizes — just couldn’t bring itself to put Clyde Fans on the shortlist. Business as usual, indeed.

Link to the rest at The Conversation

PG couldn’t find an ebook for Clyde Fans, but did discover some other ebooks written by Seth which included Look Inside feature, but that didn’t work with a WordPress embed block.

Here’s a link to Seth’s books on Amazon

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6 thoughts on “Graphic novels are overlooked by book prizes, but that’s starting to change”

    • That’s not where he would find it.
      Amazon would have it.
      (Of course.)

      Like this one:
      https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0679406417/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MRP9ALBZVGLM&dchild=1&keywords=maus&qid=1603580453&s=books&sprefix=maus%2Caps%2C265&sr=1-1

      Plenty of others.

      Say, PERSEPOLIS or SHERIFF OF BABYLON.

      Sheldon is a superhero fan though, so he’d go for WATCHMEN or SECRET IDENTITY.

      One thing tgey all have in common is they’ll be sought out and read long after everybody forgets the latest literary award winner.

      • Forget? Makes one wonder how many people even know about the literary awards.

        Here’s a test we can all take in the privacy of our chambers. Think of a major 2020 book award and the author who won it. I failed.

        • Understandable; it’s been more than a week.
          40 years later, MAUS is still doing its job.
          The newer ones too.

        • Literary awards have been a growth industry for SFF fiction, a new award result seems to be announced several times a week. My impression is that the only people who care about almost all of these are those giving them and those who win (plus, I guess, the odd blogger).

          As for the Booker, the system used to create the long list ensures that it’s just a somewhat incestuous trad publishing marketing exercise, though I’m not sure how well this now works. As for the judges, I’m sure that Tom Simon could come with up with some suitably derogatory remarks, though they do normally make a gesture to populism – this year it’s Lee Child, who also fills the white male role. “Diversity” naturally now plays a major part in their selection (though whether this extends to intellectual diversity I know not … the diversity tests adopted by some US universities appear to me to be aimed an ideological uniformity).

          The Booker is also noted for the fact that in 2019 the judges chose to break the very explicit rules – and the equally explicit advice they were given on the rules’ meaning – and split the prize between two books (neither of which I can remember); I’m not sure why the organisers didn’t fire the judges for their inability to reach a decision (or for diluting the “Booker winner” marketing plans).

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