/R E P E A T -- RBC Taylor Prize 2020 Longlist Revealed/

The 2020 RBC Taylor Prize jury announces a dozen essential titles that should be on every Canadian's reading list this year

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2019 /CNW/ - RBC Taylor Prize 2020 jurors Margaret Atwood, Coral Ann Howells and Peter Theroux today shared the longlist for the 20th anniversary, and final, edition of Canada's most prestigious non-fiction prize.

The jury commented: "Both new and veteran jury members among us were dazzled by the over 150 sterling RBC Taylor Prize submissions this year. Distilling these diverse riches, embracing the social, personal, political, and historical into a mere list of ten, was a profound but rewarding challenge — our list could have been much longer, and indeed it is slightly longer than we were asked for! Readers globally can be thankful for a year of such exceptional Canadian contributions."

The longlist Books for the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize are:

1. Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire by Ted Barris, published by Harper Collins Canada
2. Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson by Mark Bourrie, published by Biblioasis
3. The Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match That Made Chess Great Again by Brin-Jonathan Butler, published by Simon & Schuster
4. Had it Coming: What's Fair in the Age of #MeToo by Robyn Doolittle, published by Allen Lane
5. We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib, published by Viking Canada
6. In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott, published by University of Regina Press
7. Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid, published by Doubleday Canada
8. The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love and Britain Becomes Modern by Robert Morrison,published by W.W. Norton
9. Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis by Andrew Reeves, published by ECW Press
10. The Mongolian Chronicles: A Story of Eagles, Demons and Empires by Allen Smutylo, published by Goose Lane Editions
11. The Reality Bubble: Blind Spots, Hidden Truths, and the Dangerous Illusions that Shape Our World by Ziya Tong, published by Allen Lane
12. The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator by Timothy C. Winegard, published by Allen Lane

Noreen Taylor, chair of the Charles Taylor Foundation and founder of the Prize, commented: "When we began this prize, it was in the hope that the books selected by the jury would reflect all kinds of Canadian stories as well as the issues that all Canadians are interested in and concerned about. This year's exceptionally good jury has done just that. From 155 submissions, they have presented us with a stellar holiday reading list that covers histories, memoir, investigations, social justice and travel to far-off lands. This longlist has a category and a subject for every reader!"

Vijay Parmar, President of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, added: "Over the last 20 years, the RBC Taylor Prize has helped to both promote and inspire Canada's non-fiction literary landscape. Congratulations to the impressive group of authors who have rightfully earned their place on this year's longlist."

Key Dates:
The RBC Taylor Prize Shortlist will be announced at a news conference on on the morning of Wednesday, January 8, 2020, and the winner revealed at a special 20th Anniversary gala luncheon on Monday March 2, 2020.

About the RBC Taylor Prize
Established in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation and first awarded in 2000, the RBC Taylor Prize commemorates Charles Taylor's pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $30,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the remaining finalists. All authors are presented with a custom leather-bound version of their shortlisted book at the awards ceremony. All finalists receive promotional support for their nominated titles.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor. The Prize Manager is Sheila Kay.

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management. Its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail, Cision, Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Ben McNally Books, Event Source, Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Omni King Edward Hotel.

To download high-resolution images of the longlisted authors and their book covers go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2020/rbctp_2020_longlist_covers_and_authors.zip
To download high-resolution images of the trustees and the jury please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2020/2020_trustees_and_jury.zip

For general information about the Prize please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.

Follow the RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize
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SOURCE Charles Taylor Prize

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