Alistair MacLeod Wins Portia White Prize

Inverness County native Alistair MacLeod is this year's recipient of Nova Scotia's Portia White Prize.

Premier John Hamm, Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture, and Christopher King, chair of the Nova Scotia Arts Council, presented Mr. MacLeod with the $25,000 award at a ceremony and reception at Province House today.

"It is a great honour for me to receive this award named after one of Nova Scotia's truly outstanding artists," said Mr. MacLeod. "I am humbled and deeply appreciative of this recognition extended by the Arts Council of my home province."

With numerous literary awards to his credit, Mr. MacLeod exemplifies the spirit and prestige of the Portia White Prize.

"In selecting Mr. MacLeod the award committee stated that Alistair MacLeod is an artist whose work is firmly rooted in his culture and his Nova Scotia community," said Ron Bourgeois, former Nova Scotia Arts Council chairman, who served on the Portia White award selection committee. "As an educator and mentor, his teaching has inspired Canadian writers from across the land. As a writer, Mr. MacLeod's is a poignant personal voice, universal in its relevance. His work will feed the imagination of generations to come."

Mr. MacLeod was born in Saskatchewan in 1936 and raised among extended family in Cape Breton, where he still spends most of his summers. Well-known in literary circles for two decades for his short stories, Mr. MacLeod's first novel -- No Great Mischief -- was published to immediate acclaim in 1999. This work has won several prestigious awards, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

"Mr. MacLeod is truly deserving of this honour," said Premier Hamm. "Much like Portia White, he shares his gifts with young people and is a shining example of how the arts thrive in Nova Scotia. Our government supports the arts because they make a real impact on our economy, and equally important, the arts contribute to our sense of well-being and to the quality of life in Nova Scotia."

The Portia White Prize is awarded every year by the province to recognize artistic excellence and achievement by a Nova Scotia artist. The prize honours the memory and example of Portia White, a Nova Scotia artist who rose above adversity to achieve international acclaim as a classical singer on the great stages of Europe and North America. Her artistic achievements and dedication to teaching young artists stand as a model to all Nova Scotians and continue to foster pride in African Nova Scotian communities and in all Nova Scotian artists.

"Art cannot be easily defined," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "This prize serves to honour all Nova Scotia artists, from musicians and painters to writers and sculptors. It also honours their passion for and commitment to the arts in this province."

This year, for the first time, the $25,000 prize will be awarded in two components. The first part -- $18,000 -- is awarded directly to the primary recipient, Alistair MacLeod. Mr. MacLeod named a Nova Scotia professional arts organization, the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia, to receive the secondary award of $7,000.

"The members of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia are deeply honoured at this generous demonstration of respect and faith from one of our own, a man who is among the world's finest writers," said Jane Buss, executive director of the federation. "In recognition of Alistair's enduring commitment to the development of young writers, the federation has designated this gift to our new mentor program."

The federation's mentor program is designed to serve the needs of emerging writers who are committed to their craft and creative development. Mentorships also help to sustain the province's senior writers. The Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia was established in 1975 to foster creative writing and the profession of writing in the province.

The Nova Scotia Arts Council will host a public reception for Alistair MacLeod and George Elliott Clarke on Friday, Nov. 30. Mr. Clarke was the first winner of the Portia White Prize and was recently honoured with the Governor General's Award for Poetry. The reception will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. Both authors will read from their work.