Modris Eksteins wins the 2013 B.C. National Award for Canadian nonfiction

Toronto author Modris Eksteins has won the ninth annual British Columbia National Award for Canadian nonfiction for his book Solar Dance, which examines 20th century Western culture and politics through the lens of artist Vincent Van Gogh. (Read senior writer Brian Bethune’s feature on Eksteins and the book here.)

The three other finalists, George Bowering, Robert R. Fowler and Candice Savage–who were chosen from a total of 143 authors nominated this year–will each take home $2,500.

Previous winners of the award, which celebrates “a genre that stimulates our national conversation and shares knowledge about the complex world in which we live,” include:

• Charlotte Gill for Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe (2012)
• John Vaillant for The Tiger (2011)
• Ian Brown for The Boy in the Moon (2010)
• Russell Wangersky for Burning Down the House (2009)
• Lorna Goodison for From Harvey River (2008)
• Noah Richler for This Is My Country, What’s Yours? (2007)
• Rebecca Godfrey for Under the Bridge (2006)
• Patrick Lane for There Is a Season (2005)