Snubbed

Okay, perhaps 'snubbed' is overstating it, but Douglas Coupland and jPod failed to make the Giller Prize short list. Being named to the long list (I've never heard of a long list before, but there you have it) is prestigious enough. And it's not like he needs the Giller Prize-winner accolade in the same way a lesser-known, less-established writer does. And it's good to see lesser-known, less-established writers get their due. So I guess all is well.

But it is interesting to note that Coupland has always been a bit of an outsider on the CanLit scene. In his own words:

"CanLit is when (sic) the Canadian government pays you money to write about life in small towns and/or the immigrant experience..."

The Globe and Mail earlier this week suggested that Coupland may have finally "cracked the inner sanctum of Canadian Literature". Which I'm not sure is something he's ever aspired to accomplish. He's probably better off right where he is.