David Bergen, The Matter with Morris (HarperCollins)
David Bergen is nominated for The Matter With Morris (HarperCollins), a novel about a middle-aged newspaper columnist in crisis. This is the Winnipeg writer's sixth novel - last year he won the Writers' Trust notable author award, and he won the Giller in 2005 for his book The Time in Between.
What was your first thought, the moment you heard you were shortlisted for the Giller Prize?
"What the ... ?" Repeat three or four times.
In 100 words or less, why should your book win?
Not even going to go there. We are mere puppets.
If you do win, what will you do with the prize money?
Buy some land far away from Winnipeg, in a warmer place.
Which of the nominees would you most like to have dinner with and why?
I'd like to eat fresh seafood, so I guess that would narrow it to Kathleen [Winter]or Alexander [MacLeod] Though, if Sarah [Selecky]and Johanna [Skibsrud]could meet me on the coast, I'd be pleased to have dinner with them as well.
What are you working on now?
A novel set far away from Winnipeg.
What's the weirdest book you read in the last year?
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. And I mean weird in the best way.