Ontario authors, poets honoured at 20th annual Trillium Book Awards

Last Updated: Monday, June 4, 2007 | 2:40 PM ET

CBC Arts

Five Ontario authors have been honoured in Toronto with the 2007 Trillium Book Award, the Ontario literary honour's 20th-anniversary edition.

Ottawa writer Mark Frutkin won the $20,000 English-language Trillium Book Award on Monday for his novel Fabrizio's Return, which the jury called "enchanting and pitch perfect."

The corresponding French-language prize was a tie between Ottawa writer Daniel Castillo Durante for La passion des nomads (which the jury dubbed "a story filled with passion and ... a true revelation.") and Toronto poet Paul Savoie for his poetry collection Crac. The two will share in the $20,000 prize.

Toronto's Ken Babstock was named winner of the $10,000 Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English-language) title for his collection Airstream Land Yacht, which features language that "is exhilarating and musical," the jury said.

The winner of the inaugural $10,000 Trillium Book Award for Children's Literature (French-language) is Françoise Lepage for Poupeska, an epistolary novel about a teen struggling to break free from bullies tormenting her.

The five writers join such past Trillium winners as Margaret Atwood, Thomas King, Michael Ondaatje and Maurice Henrie.

This year's "outstanding recipients join a distinguished literary circle. We congratulate them and their publishers and look forward to reading their books — which form part of our rich cultural heritage," said Kevin Shea, chair of the prize's administrator, the Ontario Media Development Corporation. 

Past winners and this year's crop of finalists will also be feted in Toronto Monday night at a waterfront gala celebrating the award's 20th anniversary.