Josip Novakovich: Montreal

Montreal Dept: It was a total surprise, said Novakovich on his reaction to the news while returning to Montreal from a writing retreat in the Florida Keys, according to Montreal Gazette. Awards in general suck, as they seem to be designed to hurt people who don t get them, Novakovich said. I ve had a few awards, but none, for example, for my novel April Fool s Day, which I think is my best book. So they are arbitrary, whimsical, not to be relied on. On the other hand, I seem to have gotten a few just when I needed them most. So they are also great, of course and mONTREAL - Montreal writer Josip Novakovich scored a prestigious coup Thursday when it was announced that he is a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize for 2013. A popular and active figure in the local literary scene, Novakovich has taught creative writing at Concordia University since 2009. Born in the Croatian part of what was then Yugoslavia, he emigrated to the United States his mother is American-born at age 20 in 1976 before coming to Montreal. The author of novels, and story and essay collections, and a bestselling guide to creative writing, his career has been marked with such distinctions as an American Book Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship; his main subject has been the experience of exile, often given a darkly comic treatment. His newest published work is the 2012 essay collection Shopping For a New Country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.