Regina author and dramatist Dianne Warren has been awarded the inaugural Glengarry Book Award for the English-language fiction novel The Diamond House.
Launched by the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts in June of 2021, the Glengarry Book Award supports Saskatchewan’s literary culture. The $20,000 (CAD) prize celebrates authors with Saskatchewan roots. Warren won the National Magazine Gold Award for Fiction and the Western Magazine Award for Fiction. She also won the Marian Engel Award from the Writers’ Trust of Canada, in 2004. Her first novel, Cool Water, won the Governor General’s Award for English-Language Fiction, in 2021, and was also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
The Glengarry Book Award is for a first edition English language novel or book of short fiction. It was the vision of donor and booklover Claire Kramer, a founding trustee of the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts (SFFA). “I am delighted to establish this annual award in support of literary excellence from or influenced by writers living in Saskatchewan,” says Kramer.
The Glengarry Book Award is managed and administered by the SFFA. Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund, led the formation of the jury and the adjudication of the entries. The jury comprised a Canadian author, publisher and former judge and diplomat, selected Warren as the Award recipient. Warren’s The Diamond House was chosen for its superior writing, character, and plot development.
Recognized as one of the most influential women in the global media industry, Saskatchewan-born Creighton was involved in establishing the SFFA. Creighton says, “The prairies have inspired a multitude of renowned artists. I’ve been driven by the creativity and the land in Saskatchewan my entire life. The Foundation’s work benefits the arts and continued recognition of Saskatchewan as a hotbed of creativity and innovation. I had the privilege of serving as Chair of the Foundation from 2004-2013 and continue to volunteer and advise during this exciting time in the Foundation’s growth.”
Three-time Governor General award-winning author Guy Vanderhaeghe says: “The announcement of the $20,000 Glengarry Book Award by the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts is a cause for celebration by all who care about the distinguished Saskatchewan literary tradition that first found expression with Sinclair Ross and W.O. Mitchell and which has, in the work of their successors, continued to give vibrant voice to this place and this people. The generosity of Claire Kramer, who funded The Glengarry Book Award, needs to be applauded. It is proof that the arts matter here.”
About The Glengarry Book Award
The Glengarry Book award follows a long history of Saskatchewan arts patrons supporting and celebrating the arts. We are honored to be a part of recognizing the creativity of literary artists who have made their mark on Saskatchewan. Whether they started their career here or were raised here, they are connected to this land and our province. We celebrate Diane Warren as the 2021 Glengarry Book Award recipient. “This is a momentous time in the Foundation's history,” says Gursh Barnard, Chair of the SFFA’s board of trustees.
**In addition to the launch of the national ‘Saskatchewan roots’ Glengarry Book Award, in 2021, the Foundation will provide an additional eight awards of $5,000 each, supported by the SFFA’s six named endowment funds to Saskatchewan artists in various disciplines. For the applications received in 2021, over 75 per cent were female and 50 per cent Indigenous artists.
About the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts
The Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts (SFFA) is a public foundation dedicated solely to creating a legacy of financial support for the arts and artists in Saskatchewan, through the generous financial support of individuals, organizations, and corporations.
Title: House of Diamonds by Dianne Warren
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
ISBN: 9781443445108
ISBN 10: 144344510X
BISAC1: FICTION / General