Toronto writer and poetSouvankham Thammavongsa wins the coveted 2020 Giller Prize

Toronto writer and poetSouvankham Thammavongsahas won the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prizefor hershort-story collectionHow to Pronounce Knife, the writer'sfirst work of fiction.

Thammavongsa was revealed as the winner of the $100,000 literary prize Monday night, during a virtual awards ceremony hosted by actor Eric McCormack and featuring musical guest Diana Krall.

"Thirty sixyears ago I went to school and I pronounced the word knife wrong and I didn't get a prize," she said referencing her early education in ESL classes. "But tonight there is one."

Jurors hailed the book as "a stunning collection of stories that portray the immigrant experience in achingly beautiful prose."

WATCH |Fun, ferocious moments at centre of Giller Prize-winning book:

Fun, ferocious moments at centre of Giller Prize-winning book

4 years ago

Duration 9:15

Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa says she wanted to have fun again while writing and that her short story collection is 'built out' from her many years of writing poetry.

Born in Thailand, raised in Toronto

Born in the Lao refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand, and raised in Toronto, Thammavongsa has earned acclaim for her four poetry books and her writing has been featured in publications including Harper's Magazine, the Paris Review and The Atlantic.

The other four finalists for this year's prize will receive $10,000 each. They are:

• Toronto-based writer and poetGil Adamson, nominated for the novel Ridgerunner, the follow-up to her bestselling debut novel The Outlander.
• Winnipeg novelist and short story writer David Bergen, a past Giller-winner nominated again for his short story collection Here the Dark.
• Ontario-based writer and visual artist Shani Mootoo, nominated for her novelPolar Vortex.
• New York-based Canadian writerEmily St. John Mandel, nominated for her novelThe Glass Hotel.

Thammavongsajoins such past Giller winners as Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Alice Munro, Madeleine Thein,EsiEdugyanand Ian Williams, who received the prize last year for his debut novel, Reproduction.

The five-member jury panel for this year's prize consisted of Canadian authorsDavid Chariandy, Eden Robinson and Mark Sakamoto (jury chair); British editor and criticClaire Armitstead; and Canadian-British author and journalistTom Rachman.

Canada's richest award for fiction

The Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by businessman Jack Rabinovitchin memory of his wife, the literary journalist Doris Giller.

As established byRabinovitch, who died in 2017 at the age of 87, the annual prize recognizes excellence in Canadian fiction, bothlong format andshort stories.

The prizebegan with an annual purse of $25,000, which has increased over the years to $140,000 currently, making itCanada's richest literary award for fiction.

Since its inception, the prize has endowed more than $750,000 to Canadian writers across the country, according to the Giller website.