High-end development threatens historic Mecca

Architectural and cultural critics are sounding the alarm over massive development in central Mecca which is destroying important sites of the holy city in Saudi Arabia.

According to an estimate, by 2025 the number of devout Muslims expected to make the annual holy pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, could rise to 17 million.

Because of this, the government has approved a swath of high-end developers, who have focused their efforts on the historic city centre surrounding the Grand Mosque — home to the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site. Today, the world's second tallest building — a replica of London's Big Ben — looms over the Grand Mosque and there are about 400 hotels slated to be built in close proximity.

"The Hajj pilgrimage has always been about giving up your worldly goods and going down to the absolute minimum and here we have the second tallest building in the world sitting on a six-storey shopping mall. Apparently now when you come out of the [Grand] Mosque, the first thing you see is Starbucks and McDonald's. The whole process has become incredibly commercialized," Oliver Wainwright, architectural and design critic for The Guardian, told CBC's Q cultural affairs show from London.

"The hotel rooms facing the Mosque now go for up to $7,000 US a night, so not only is it destroying the heritage, it is making the whole process of the pilgrimage an incredibly exclusive pastime for only the richest people."

According to Wainwright, the towers rising across from the Grand Mosque are basically concrete high-rises superficially embellished "with a pastiche of Islamic architecture." Key historic sites and sacred landscapes are disappearing under these new buildings.

"In order to make the clock tower, they destroyed an 18th century Ottoman fortress, which was one of the most important historic buildings in Mecca. Not only did they destroy the fortress, they removed the hill on which it sat," he said.

"The house of the Prophet's wife has now been turned into a toilet block and the house of one of his companions is now the site of a Hilton hotel...All of these important sites, which in other countries would be UNESCO World Heritage [sites], here they have been obliterated."

Wainwright talked to Q's Jian Ghomeshi about exactly how vast the new development is, why there hasn't been more outcry against it and the more culturally and environmentally sensitive alternative that's been suggested — and dismissed.

The Grand Mosque, seen at top left, in the historic city centre of the holy city of Mecca, is surrounded by construction cranes working on vast high-end developments of pricey hotels, restaurants and shops. (Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters )

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British photographer wins $50K Grange Prize

A British photographer who captures elite athletes at their moment of peak perfection has won the Grange Prize, the annual $50,000 award for photography given by Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario.

London's Jo Longhurst was named as winner Thursday evening, chosen by public vote ahead of fellow British finalist Jason Evans and two Canadian photographers: Emmanuelle Léonard of Montreal and Annie MacDonell of Toronto.

Each year, the Grange Prize pits two Canadian photographers against two from another country. The other three finalists receive $5,000 each.

British photographer Jo Longhurst is the 2012 winner of the $50,000 Grange Prize. (Art Gallery of Ontario)

The photography of all four finalists has been on display at the AGO, at Canada House in London and in an online gallery.

Longhurst's work includes The Refusal, a series on whippets, British show dogs bred to ideal standards. Her most recent series, Other Spaces, explores the physical and emotional experiences of elite gymnasts. Most of her photography focuses on the quest for perfection.

She uses sculptural elements, distortion and multiple images to direct the viewer's attention to the art of photography itself.

Born in Essex, Longhurst trained at the Royal College of Art and has been featured in international shows in London, Paris and Berlin. Her work was selected for this year's Documenta (13), the prestigious German-based art fair.

As part of her Grange Prize win, Longhurst begins a residency at the AGO next week and remains until Dec. 15. Each of the other finalists also earns a residency: Evans will be in Toronto next spring, while the two Canadians will travel to the U.K. in 2013.

Jo Longhurst, whose photo Suspension (1) vinyl is seen here, will begin a residency at the AGO as part of her win. (Jo Longhurst/Art Gallery of Ontario)

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Blake Shelton wins big at U.S. Country Music Awards

It was couples night at the Country Music Association Awards as Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert capped an emotional evening with Shelton's first entertainer of the year award.

Shelton, one of the coaches/judges on TV's The Voice, won a leading three awards, including his third straight male vocalist of the year award. Lambert won female vocalist of the year, and the couple shared song of the year for their heart-rending collaboration Over You.

Lambert openly wept on stage in one of the more emotional CMA moments in recent memory as her husband recounted for the ABC television audience how his late father Dick spurred the couple to write the heart-rending song about the loss of his brother Richie.

"My dad always told me, 'Son, you should write a song about your brother,"' Shelton said. "I lost my dad in January, and it's so amazing to me that tonight, even after he's gone, he's still right. I just needed the right person to write this song with and the right person to sing it."

Shelton and Lambert weren't the only couple with surprising wins. Little Big Town, a quartet that includes couple Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook, took home vocal group and single of the year for Pontoon. And Thompson Square's Shawna and Keifer Thompson won vocal duo of the year, ending Sugarland's five-year run in that category.

"Y'all, this has been a 13-year journey," Karen Fairchild said as members of the group fist-pumped, jumped up and down and shouted on stage. "We're living proof that if you work really hard and chase your dream, all the good stuff happens and it follows you. Nashville, you made us your band. Thank you for letting us do this."

Complete acceptance

Like fellow outsiders LBT, Eric Church felt the love from the CMA's voters for the first time. He won the prestigious album of the year for his breakthrough record Chief, signalling his complete acceptance by the country music community.

"I spent a lot of my career wondering where I fit in — too country, too rock," Church told the crowd. "I want to thank you guys for giving me somewhere to hang my hat tonight."

The North Carolina native was this year's leading nominee, breaking through in prestigious categories for the first time. Yet no one was more surprised than Church, who said he certainly had no expectation of winning.

"Never, especially with our journey," Church said. "I mean our path's been a little bit different. I distinctly remember playing for eight people in Amarillo, Texas, four years ago, and to go from there to here is quite surreal."

The awards went off-script early, and not just for Little Big Town. Thompson Square won in a category that's been locked up by either Sugarland or Brooks & Dunn 19 of the last 20 years.

"Ever since I was 5 years old, I used to practice in the kitchen with one of my Meemaw's Mason jars for this moment here," Shawna Thompson said.

Hunter Hayes wins new artist award

Hunter Hayes won new artist of the year, while Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw won musical event of the year for Party Like a Rock Star and Toby Keith won video of the year for Red Solo Cup.

Church helped kick off the show by combining forces with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. Playing with a large American flag behind them, the trio of performers teamed up on Aldean's new single The Only Way I Know from his new album Night Train and earned a standing ovation. Each returned later to play singles, showing how large a market share they now own in country music.

Most of country's top stars were on hand at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena for the celebration. Swift performed the sombre new single Begin Again on a set with a picture of the Eiffel Tower and falling leaves in the background. She received an ovation of her own.

McGraw debuted the single One of Those Nights from his new album Two Lanes of Freedom. Lambert, dressed in a multi-colored bustier and leather pants, spun around on stage while performing her rockin' song Fastest Girl in Town.

The Band Perry delivered an energetic version of Better Dig Two, complete with laser light show, and Paisley performed new single Southern Comfort Zone, with an assist from the Brentwood Baptist choir.

Willie Nelson honoured

Shelton, McGraw and his wife Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban joined together to salute lifetime achievement winner Willie Nelson, ending with a group sing-along of his iconic On the Road Again.

Little Big Town performed their winner Pontoon, a song that was something of a departure for Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet. Produced by Jay Joyce, the song has a sharper groove than LBT's previous efforts.

In a coincidence, Joyce also produced Church's Chief. The hard edge he brought to both paid off all around.

Church said album of the year, arguably the CMA's second most prestigious award, was a win that fit right in with his and Joyce's philosophy.

"I still think in this day and time the only way to really get a fan base is you've got to give them more than one chapter of a book," Church said. "They've got to read the whole book."

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Libel case against Britney Spears' parents dismissed

Jamie Spears, father of singer Britney Spears, is seen leaving the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. (Nick Ut/Associated Press)

Britney Spears' former confidante and self-professed manager failed to prove his libel and breach-of-contract claims against the singer's parents and her caretakers, a judge who dismissed the case mid-trial ruled Thursday.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bruguera said an attorney for Sam Lutfi hadn't proven any of his allegations in the case that centred on events before the singer's public meltdown more than four years ago.

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Lutfi's side rested its case Tuesday, but Bruguera agreed with arguments by attorneys for Spears' father and her conservators that there wasn't sufficient evidence to send the claims to a jury.

Sam Lutfi, seen in 2008 after visiting Britney Spears in hospital, filed the lawsuit in 2009. (APTN/Associated Press)

Lutfi had sued Lynne Spears for libel and the singer's father, Jamie, for allegedly hitting him at the singer's mansion in an incident shortly before Jamie Spears and others were granted control over the singer's life. Lutfi also had claimed he was owed a 15 per cent share of the singer's earnings, but Bruguera disagreed.

Lutfi left the courtroom without speaking to reporters, and attorneys on both sides of the case declined to comment.

Dark moments revisited

The case centred on many of Britney Spears' darkest moments, including a pair of psychiatric hospitalizations that led to her father being named her conservator. Her fiancé, Jason Trawick, was added as a co-conservator earlier this year. The arrangement is overseen by a probate judge who had directed them not to allow the singer to appear at the trial.

Lutfi's attorney Joseph Schleimer had contended in opening statements that his client was made a scapegoat for Spears' downfall. Schleimer argued Spears' mother lied about claims that Lutfi drugged the singer and isolated her from family. And he said Lutfi's close relationship with the paparazzi was a way to get them to be less unruly and more respectful of the Grammy winner.

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Yet Lutfi failed to show he had a binding management agreement that would have entitled him to 15 per cent of the singer's profits from her 2007 album Blackout and other projects, the judge ruled. Joel Boxer, an attorney for Spears' conservators, argued that even if Lutfi had an agreement to serve as the singer's manager, he obtained it through undue influence.

Lynne Spears' attorney Stephen Rohde noted that many of his client's claims were included in court filings that prompted a judge to place the singer under the conservatorship, and that those statements were made under oath.

Lutfi sued in 2009, the same year that Spears' conservators obtained a restraining order against him to stop trying to contact her or meddle in her affairs.

He told jurors he endured death threats after the publication of Lynne Spears' book, Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World, and he claimed the experience left him depressed and suicidal.

Schleimer argued he was stymied by rulings that denied him access to sealed court records and Spears' medical files, but Bruguera said the complaints weren't valid. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that information," the judge said.

Spears' parents sat through the entire trial, which opened with Schleimer showing videos and photos of Spears' turbulent period, including shaving her head and hitting a sport utility vehicle with an umbrella.

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Broadway lights up as NY gets back to life post-Sandy

The lights went up again on Broadway Wednesday for the first time since superstorm Sandy hit New York, as entertainers headed back to work in a city still wracked by power-outages and a suspended subway system.

Though some Broadway shows, including Mary Poppins and The Lion King remained dark Wednesday, the curtain was to rise for many of the other 38 shows, including Cyrano De Bergerac. Patrick Page, who plays the villain Comte de Guiche in the production, was heading back to the theatre for a matinee performance, even if he was unsure if there would be anyone in the seats.

"Broadway is as important an icon of New York City as the subways, so to get back to work is a sign that we can bounce back," he said. "This has been such a tough time for so many and it's vital that we show the lights are on and there's great work being done onstage."

Page said he spent a restless time off in his Upper West Side neighbourhood, worried about his in-laws along the New Jersey shore — he is married to actress and TV personality Paige Davis. He said he checked Facebook to find out how friends were fairing, obsessively watched the news and went out to check that neighbours had ridden out the storm.

"We're New Yorkers," he said. "We'll get through this."

The company of Peter and the Starcatcher, the Tony Award-nominated prequel to Peter Pan, faced some tense moments before their Wednesday matinee. Five of their dozen cast members live in Brooklyn and faced a dicey commute. For instance, their Peter Pan, Adam Chanler-Berat, didn't fly to the theatre — he biked.

As the 2 p.m. show loomed, all the cast was in place, except for Isaiah Johnson, who plays Captain Scott. Playwright Rick Elice and co-director Roger Rees, who were both at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, each was ready to go on if he didn't make it. He did — but only five minutes until curtain.

Downtown still affected

In downtown theatres, though, the stories were grim.

The SoHo Rep was without power and had some flooding, while MCC Theatre had no electricity Wednesday. The Barrow Street Theatre was dark and facing the prospect of cancelling additional performances of Tribes while they await power.

The Bank Street Theater is without power and its basement is flooded, forcing the Labyrinth Theater Company to put off the first preview of their Radiance. One of the cast members of Eve Ensler's Emotional Creatures, playing on 42nd Street, lives in Long Island, has no electricity and may not be able to get to tonight's performance.

Jimmy Fallon, who filmed his NBC talk show without an audience on Monday due to inclement weather caused by superstorm Sandy, is getting back to regular busines, along with his other late night colleagues in New York. (Lloyd Bishop/NBC/Associated Press)

New York's late-night TV hosts were back in swing, though, with all resuming regular production Wednesday. The remaining holdouts — Jon Stewart with The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert with The Colbert Report — were to join David Letterman (The Late Show), Jimmy Fallon (Late Night) and Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live), who is doing a week of shows in Brooklyn, on the airwaves.

All were to tape with a live studio audience Wednesday. Out of safety and caution, Letterman taped Monday and Tuesday's episodes in front of an empty Ed Sullivan Theater, but it will again be full Wednesday. Fallon did the same at Rockefeller Center on Monday.

Other New York cultural institutions were forced to continue to cancel planned events. Carnegie Hall, which sits on 57th Street near a crane damaged in the storm, announced that its Thursday concerts were postponed, after having already done the same for Wednesday night's performances. Lincoln Center swung back into business Wednesday, with the exception of a handful of events. Performances were also to resume at the Metropolitan Opera.

Groups face uncertainty, waiting

For many, figuring out exactly when to reopen business was a daunting and uncertain decision. While parts of the New York transit system have been restored, predictions on when subways, commuter rails and power to the southern end of Manhattan have generally been vague. Knowing when both performers and audience can get to their stages, TV studios and concert halls has been a day-by-day waiting game.

The Keep a Child Alive foundation announced Wednesday that the 9th annual Black Ball, scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed. Alicia Keys was to host, Oprah Winfrey was to be honoured and Beyoncé was to perform at the Hammerstein Ballroom event, which raises money to fight AIDS in Africa.

'The city has not issued any location permits this week, so probably the earliest we'll be able to shoot is this weekend...The main issue is going to be getting power restored'—Warren Leight, executive producer of Law & Order: SVU

Film and TV production in New York has largely ceased, as the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting is not granting permits to shoot in exterior locations throughout the five boroughs until at least Saturday. Production on shows from 30 Rock to Gossip Girl has been affected.

"The city has not issued any location permits this week, so probably the earliest we'll be able to shoot is this weekend," said Warren Leight, executive producer of Law & Order: SVU.

''We are able to do some location scouting tomorrow and we have our production meetings by phone, with people on their cells and calling from their cars. The main issue is going to be getting power restored."

Celebrities begin fundraising efforts

Some celebrities sought to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Edward Norton on Wednesday kicked off a crowd-funded relief effort via the website CrowdRise.com, with money donated from various companies to help spark giving.

"We wanted to make it easy for people to quickly support relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy through reliable organizations and, even better, to have the impact of their dollars doubled," said Norton.

"So CrowdRise has rallied a bunch of great companies committed to matching the funds raised through our page."

The storm also made a mess of Henry Winkler's birthday plans. The one-time TV "Fonzie," rode out the storm safely in upper Manhattan but his thoughts were with those suffering in New Jersey, Long Island and lower Manhattan. He turned 67 on Monday.

"It made my birthday insignificant," said Winkler, who stars as a veteran porn star in the new Broadway comedy The Performers.

''Just to be able to take a walk was pretty terrific. You think you know how to plan for a storm after all these years and then it makes history. All those millions of people affected, it breaks my heart."

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Book publishing in midst of shakeup

The publishing world is in the midst of a major shakeup, with e-books taking an increasing share of the market and two of the world's largest publishers — Bertelsmann and Pearson PLC — joining forces.

The merger of Bertelsmann's Random House and Pearson's Penguin Books creates the world's largest publisher of consumer books, with approximately one-quarter of the international market.

In Canada, the merger announcement followed news of Vancouver-based Douglas & McIntyre filing for bankruptcy protection.

Publishers are struggling with a downturn in physical book sales as well as pricing issues surrounding e-books, for which demand is surging. However, they also sell for less than traditional books.

For writers, the changes seem to indicate fewer traditional publishers who are willing to consider their work. Though small presses and a few stalwarts still survive in Canada, each selects only a handful of books every year.

At the same time, there are an increasing number of e-publishing alternatives, from online retail giant Amazon to Canadian website Wattpad. However, they don't offer the same support as traditional publishers: for instance, writers may not be paid for their work or might be responsible for their own marketing.

As the Canadian publishing community gathered in Toronto to celebrate a literary success — the awarding of the 2012 Giller Prize to Calgary's Will Ferguson — Deana Sumanac speaks to its writers and editors about the future of the industry.

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Malabar costume shop does big business in dressing up

Located on a side-street in downtown Toronto is Malabar Limited, one of Canada's oldest costume shops and a place where dressing up is a yearlong affair, not only at Halloween.

Staffers take pride in delivering on the eclectic requests they're regularly presented: from outfitting dancers to creating costumes for opera troupes to finding a superhero suit that's just right for a walk-in customer.

"Once you get them with all the stuff on, people are much more receptive to the clothing and you can see them getting more into the character," says Malabar's Doug Begoray, a self-taught historical costume specialist.

Eli Glasner reports on Malabar and its business of dressing up.

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Amy Winehouse dresses missing from late singer's home

Amy Winehouse's charity says two of the late singer's dresses — including her wedding dress — are missing and believed stolen from her former London home.

The Amy Winehouse Foundation said Thursday the dress Winehouse wore for her 2006 Miami wedding to Blake Fielder-Civil and a newsprint cocktail dress she wore during a British TV appearance are both missing. The presumed theft was discovered during an inventory.

The wedding dress was to have been auctioned off for the charity, established to help young people overcome addiction.

The singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, told the Evening Standard it was "sickening that someone would steal something in the knowledge of its sentimental value."

Winehouse, the Grammy-winning Back to Black singer, died from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27.

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Vietnamese singers jailed for 'spreading propaganda'

Two musicians in Vietnam whose topical songs are popular among overseas Vietnamese were sentenced to prison Tuesday, prompting criticism from the United States and international rights groups.

Vo Minh Tri and Tran Vu Anh Binh were sentenced to four and six years in prison, respectively, on charges of spreading propaganda against the state, said Tri's lawyer, Tran Vu Hai. They faced possible sentences of up to 20 years.

In a half-day trial, a court in Ho Chi Minh City accused the musicians of posting songs on a website operated by an overseas Vietnamese opposition group, Patriotic Youth, according to Hai. Communist Vietnam does not tolerate challenges to its one-party rule.

Policemen stand guard at the People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Singers Vo Minh Tri and Tran Vu Anh Binh were sentenced to prison for their songs. (Kham/Reuters)

Tri, 34, known as Viet Khang, has composed songs criticizing the government for not taking a more aggressive position against China in the potentially resource-rich South China Sea, where Vietnam, China and other Asian nations have competing territorial claims. A video of his song Where is My Vietnam? (Viet Nam Toi Dau) has been viewed more than 700,000 times on YouTube.

Binh, 37, is credited with writing the music for Courage in the Dark Prison (Nguc Toi Hien Ngang), a song that encourages nonviolent protest and expresses support for imprisoned blogger Nguyen Van Hai.

The convictions come a month after Hai, known as Dieu Cay, and two other Vietnamese bloggers were sentenced to four to 12 years behind bars on the same charges.

Critics call for singers' release

Human Rights Watch condemned Tuesday's trial and called for the songwriters' immediate release.

"First critics, then bloggers, then poets, and now musicians!" Phil Robertson, deputy director at the New York-based group's Asia division, said in a statement. "The international community can no longer stand by quietly as these free speech activists are picked off one by one by Vietnam's security apparatus."

Truc Ho, one of Tri's U.S.-based supporters, told The Associated Press in April that Patriotic Youth is a group of students, artists and young professionals who promote awareness of social justice and human rights issues in Vietnam.

After Tri was arrested in December, Truc Ho said he and some friends launched a campaign in the United States to press for the songwriter's release. Their online petition to the White House gathered more than 150,000 signatures within a month, he said.

The U.S. Embassy said it was deeply troubled by Tri's sentencing.

"This conviction is the latest in a series of moves by Vietnamese authorities to restrict freedom of expression. The Vietnamese government should release this musician, all prisoners of conscience and adhere to its international obligations immediately," embassy spokesman Christopher Hodges said in a statement.

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Will Ferguson wins $50K Giller Prize

Will Ferguson has won the 2012 Giller Prize, the $50,000 award considered one of Canada's most prestigious literary honours.

Though best known for his humour and travel writing, the Calgary writer won for his dark novel 419 on Tuesday night, accepting the prize at a star-studded gala in Toronto.

"I want to thank the jury for putting together such a fresh list of books," Ferguson, who was dressed in a traditional kilt, said after taking the stage to accept the prize.

"I commend them for taking the books on their own merit, without preconceptions — which is how a jury should act."

Then, reaching into his sporran for a flask, the author concluded his speech by leading the audience in a toast.

"Ladies and gentlemen: To the written word," Ferguson said before taking a sip from the flask he procured from the pouch.

"And finally, to answer the question you're all wondering — yes I have something on underneath!"

A departure and a continuation

419 is a provocative tale of an email scam and a woman who sets out on a wide-ranging search for those she believes responsible for her father's death. It's different sort of writing for many fans of Ferguson, a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal.

"Everyone's saying it's a departure, which is understandable, but I think it's a continuum from Spanish Fly," he told reporters after the ceremony, referencing his earlier book.

Calgary's Will Ferguson holds his Giller Prize trophy following the 2012 award gala in Toronto Tuesday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

"Spanish Fly was about con artists in the 1930s. It was a historical novel. So I didn't think of [419] as out of the blue, but I think of it as a continuation."

Ferguson didn't worry as much about writing in a genre for which he isn't as known.

"I think my publisher really took more of a risk than I did, to be honest, when I switched to literary fiction," he said.

Despite the kudos he's received for 419, he not ready to limit himself to one type of writing either.

"If a funny story grabs you, it grabs you. If travel grabs you, it grabs you," he said, noting that his next book will be a travel narrative about Rwanda, Burundi and potentially eastern Congo.

"I try to switch between fiction and travel. It uses different parts of your brain. No, I'm not giving up on travel writing, but I'm certainly enjoying fiction."

Along with the $50,000 cash prize, Ferguson will likely see a healthy sales boost for 419 — a post-prize bump dubbed "the Giller effect."

Audience of notable Canadians

Satirist Rick Mercer, Olympian Rosie MacLennan, actress Kim Cattrall, soprano Measha Brueggergosman and actor Allan Hawco each introduced one of the evening's finalists.

Ferguson's fellow shortlisted authors included St. John's writer Russell Wangersky (Whirl Away) and Montreal authors Nancy Richler (The Imposter Bride), Alix Ohlin (Inside) and Kim Thuy (Ru) — each of whom will receive $5,000.

Tuesday night's ceremony opened with a dance piece by two members of the National Ballet of Canada, performing to an acoustic version of I Won't Let You Go (Darling) sung by rocker Jacob Hoggard.

CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi hosted the gala, which he described as a celebration of authors, at Toronto's Ritz-Carleton Hotel.

Actor Gordon Pinsent, interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae and Conrad Black were among the notable figures who attended the posh awards gala. Past Giller-winners Margaret Atwood, Vincent Lam and Linden Macintyre were also in the audience.

This year's jury — Irish author Roddy Doyle, Canadian publisher and writer Anna Porter and American satirist Gary Shteyngart — read more than 140 books in approximately 4½ months, according to businessman and prize founder Jack Rabinovitch.

Awarded annually since 1994, the prize was established by Rabinovitch in memory of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.

Honouring the best book of English-language fiction written in the past year, the Giller has previously gone to writers such as Mordecai Richler, Rohinton Mistry, Alice Munro and Esi Edugyan.

A dark thriller, 419 is a provocative tale of an email scam and a woman who sets out on a wide-ranging search for those she believes responsible for her father's death. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

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