Don Gillmor
Don Gillmor’s memoir, To the River, won the 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction. He is the author of five novels, a two-volume history of Canada, and nine books for children, two of which were nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award. He was a senior editor at The Walrus and his journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Saturday Night, Toronto Life, The Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star. He has won twelve National Magazine Awards and numerous other honours. He lives in Toronto.
Writers & Books
Award History
Jury Citation
“At once a memoir, a meditation, and a polemic, Don Gillmor drills deep into one of Canada’s most controversial natural resources in On Oil. Drawing on his experience as a roughneck during the 1970s Alberta oil boom, he explores the central role the petroleum industry plays in Canadian politics and business. Stories from Gillmor’s life on the rig ground his examination of the ongoing tension between oil as a driver of prosperity and values held by many other Canadians. With humour and polite insistence, Gillmor asks the questions that are at the heart of Canada’s relationship with its resource bounty.”—2026 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing Jury (Norma Dunning, Chantal Hébert, Paul Wells)Juror History
Works Recognized by WT