A graphic novel has won the Toronto Book Award for the very first time.
Maurice Vellekoop was awarded the honour Thursday evening at the Toronto Reference Library for I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together. He will get $10,000 in prize money from the city.
His book explores the Toronto art scene of the 1980s and 1990s and what it means to live authentically in a traditional family. Vellekoop portrays his lived experiences across several neighbourhoods in the city, from the downtown core to Etobicoke.
Past winners include Desmond Cole, Anthony De Sa, Jane Farrow, Rabindranath Maharaj and Kerri Sakamoto.
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Toronto Book Awards, which was established in 1974 to celebrate works of literature that were inspired by Toronto.
The four finalists — who each receive $1,000 — are:
- Reuniting with Strangers by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio
- The Roosting Box by Kristen Den Hartog
- The Rasmussen Papers by Connie Gault
- The Suicide Magnet by Paul McLaughlin
