The fallout from the Gaza War continues to be felt in the literary world |
Protesters form a picket line outside the Giller Prize award ceremony on Nov. 18, 2024.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
With the world blowing up, you may have missed the implosion of the Adelaide Festival’s Writers’ Week in Australia – which has become yet another artistic casualty of the Israel-Gaza war. Since Oct. 7, 2023, many arts organizations far beyond the Middle East have been challenged by deep divisions caused by the war, sometimes to the point of existential crisis.
In Canada, the most obvious example of this is the Giller Prize, which has been the target of oppositional open letters and protests. The issue: Ties to Israel by the Giller’s former title sponsor Scotiabank; another now-former sponsor, the Azrieli Foundation; and Indigo Books owner Heather Reisman. The Giller announced last year that it was parting ways with Scotiabank, and then made another big change this week: Canadian independent booksellers will comprise its jury, rather than authors, which has stirred up a new controversy over diversity.