Patrick Lane Receives Inaugural Canadian Non-Fiction Award May 30, 2005

Patrick Lane is the first recipient of Canada's newest major literary prize, the British Columbia Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Premier Gordon Campbell presented Mr. Lane with the $25,000 award today in Vancouver for his memoir, There Is a Season.

"This award was established to recognize Canada's finest writers of literary non-fiction," said Campbell. "Mr. Lane's achievements as a poet and non-fiction writer have contributed immeasurably to Canadian literature. On behalf of all British Columbians I offer him our warmest congratulations."

The independent jury panel for the award was also introduced today: author Denise Chong, University of Victoria professor Lynne Van Luven, and retired journalist Paddy Sherman.

There Is a Season is an exquisite memoir in which Lane, a passionate gardener, explores the way his garden's life intertwines with his own. When he gave up drinking, after years of addiction, Lane found solace and healing in tending to his yard. Now, he relates stories of his hard early life in the context of the landscape he's created. As he observes seasonal changes, a plant or a bird or the way a tree bends in the wind brings to mind an episode from his storied past.

Along with Mr. Lane, three other finalists were in the running for this year's award: Jane Jacobs for Dark Age Ahead, Harry Thurston for A Place Between the Tides, and Ronald Wright for A Short History of Progress.