Rediscovering Peter Clapham Sheppard

Rediscovering Peter Clapham Sheppard at Ben McNally’s Books & Brunch This Sunday

TORONTO - This Sunday December 9^th Ben McNally’s Books & Brunch will give Toronto book lovers a rare opportunity to hear a talk from Art Collector and Co-Biographer Louis Gagliardi about the nearly forgotten Canadian Master Painter Peter Clapham Sheppard.  Gagliardi is one of four featured authors speaking in the Vanity Fair Ballroom of the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto.

 

Peter Clapham Sheppard: His Life and Work, written by Canadian Art Expert Tom Smart with foreword by Louis Gagliardi, is a celebration of the rediscovery of the masterworks of Toronto-born Peter Clapham Sheppard (1879-1965), an artist who played a leading role in the founding of Canada's national school of art. A contemporary and colleague of the Group of Seven, he was one of the finest artists of his generation.

 

Although he was widely exhibited in national and important international exhibitions in his early career, over the last century Sheppard has fallen into the shadow cast by the Group of Seven. From occupying a place among a generation of artists who established a national school, he died in obscurity. Smart and Gagliardi cast light on a unique talent, an artist of his times, whose art matched the quality of the Group, but found inspiration beyond the sources that inspired his more famous contemporaries. This book is the culmination of a 30-year effort to bring Sheppard's name and art to its rightful place in this country's art history.

The Books and Brunch Series, a ticketed event from 10am – 12.30pm, is an opportunity to meet Louis Gagliardi and hear him discuss the new book and the rediscovery of the masterworks of Toronto-born artist, Peter Clapham Sheppard. He and the other authors will be signing books immediately following the Brunch.

1. The Making of the October Crisis by D’Arcy Jenish, published by Doubleday Canada.
2. Boy Wonders by Cathal Kelly, published by Doubleday Canada.
3. Machine Without Horses by Helen Humphries, published by HarperCollins
4. Peter Clapham Sheppard His Life and Work, by Tom Smart, foreword by Louis Gagliardi, published by Firefly Books

What: Books & Brunch presented by Ben McNally Books
When: Sunday December 9th, 2018 at 10:00 am
Where: Vanity Fair Ballroom, 2nd Floor, Omni King Edward Hotel. King St. East
Tickets: $55  - Must be purchased in advance Ben McNally Books 416.361.0032

A Toronto tradition this event always sells out. Tickets are now on sale

MEDIA: For further information: Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: 416.489.5868 | cell: 416.801.3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com

Ross King Wins the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize for Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of Water Lilies

Ross King holds his RBC Taylor Prize trophy - Tom Sandler photo

The Winner of the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize is Ross King (Oxford, England) for his book Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of Water Lilies by Ross King (Oxford, England), published by Bond Street Books. The $25,000 award was announced today by Prize founder and Chair Noreen Taylor during a gala luncheon celebrating this year’s finalists at The Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. In addition to the cash prize, Mr. King received a crystal trophy and a leather-bound version of his book.

Vijay Parmar (l), Ross King and Prize founder Noreen Taylor - photo Tom Sandler

Noreen Taylor, prize founder and chair of the Charles Taylor Foundation expressed her delight, stating: “Well-crafted prose assumes even greater prestige and authority as we face a near-daily barrage of ‘alternative facts’ and things that read ‘as if’ they are true. The RBC Taylor Prize is proud to continue our tradition of support for this essential branch of our national literature. Of course, the task of championing the best in non-fiction reading is a whole lot easier when you have such fine writers as the 2017 finalists.”

Vijay Parmar, president of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, added: “On behalf of RBC Wealth Management, congratulations to Ross King on this remarkable achievement. He joins an impressive list of authors who have played a part in shaping our country’s literary non-fiction landscape. We are proud to partner with the Charles Taylor Foundation in recognizing the amazing talent of Canadian non-fiction writers as Presenting Sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize.”

In its citation of the winning book, the jury notes: “Claude Monet’s Water Lilies paintings in the Musée de l’Orangerie at the Jardin Tuileries rank among the greatest masterpieces of world art. Their creation came late in Monet’s life when cataracts marred his sight, death struck his wife and son, and war raged close to his lily ponds at Giverny. Ross King brilliantly captures the furies of Monet and the enormous challenges he overcame in painting the twenty-two panels of lilies that surround l’Orangerie. An exceptional art historian, King grasps the political tempests of wartime France, and his portrait of Monet’s close friend, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, will be essential reading for all who want to understand the intersection of politics, nationalism, and culture in France during the First World War. In this elegantly written and superbly researched book, Ross King illuminates Water Lilies and Monet as no one has before.”

About the winner: Ross King is the author of The Judgment of Paris, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven and Leonardo and the Last Supper. His work has twice won the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction and has been shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize. Born and raised in Canada, he holds degrees from the University of Regina, York University in Toronto and University College, London. He now lives near Oxford, England.

The four remaining finalists — Max Eisen (Toronto, ON) for By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz, published by HarperCollins Publishers; Matti Friedman (Jerusalem) for Pumpkinflowers: An Israeli Soldier’s Story, published by Signal/McClelland & Stewart; Marc Raboy (Montreal, QC) for Marconi: The Man Who Networked the World, published by Oxford University Press; and Diane Schoemperlen (Kingston, ON) for This Is Not My Life: A Memoir of Love, Prison, and Other Complications, published by HarperCollins Canada — each received a $2000 honorarium, a leather-bound version of their book, and extensive publicity.

Noreen Taylor and Ross King - Tom Sandler photo

The jurors for the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize are John English, Ann MacMillan, and Colin McAdam. They read and evaluated 101 books written by Canadian authors and submitted by 29 Canadian and international publishers to determine the winner for this, the sixteenth awarding of the prestigious prize.

Established as a biennial prize in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation, 2017 marks the sixteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists, as well as promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries.

Sharing a commitment to emerging Canadian talent, the Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also grant the fourth annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Award. Shortly after the announcement of the 2017 Prize, its winner will name their choice of emerging author to receive this $10,000 award.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley, Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor

Jury Recognizes the Five Best Canadians in Literary Non-Fiction

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 • Toronto, Ontario
RBC Taylor Prize 2016 Shortlist Announced
During a standing-room-only press conference at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto, Jurors Susanne Boyce, Joseph Kertes, and Stephen J. Toope announced five finalists and shared their shortlist citations for the fifteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize. To select these five finalists, the jury read and evaluated 120 books written by Canadian authors and submitted by 39 Canadian and international publishers.

The finalists for the 2016 RBC Taylor Prize are:

Ian Brown for Sixty: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning? Published by Random House Canada

Of the book, the jury said: “Henry James once said that we should “grant the artist his donnée”—in other words judge writers only on what they have set out to do and how well they have achieved this aim. In Sixty, Ian Brown opens up his diary to us, reflecting on what it means to have entered his seventh decade, nothing more, nothing less. The result is a smart, witty compendium of his thoughts and those of others. Ian Brown is, by turns, hilarious and sad, and the result is both engaging and moving.”


Camilla Gibb for This Is Happy, published by Doubleday Canada

Of the book, the jury said: “Camilla Gibb grew up with a remote and steely mother and a father whose mental illness displayed itself in cruelty. After her own bipolar diagnosis, Gibb searched desperately for stability in her nuclear family. That dream collapsed. How can a writer find ‘happy’ in a messy, unravelling life? Through writing, of course, and by haphazardly building a new family only partly defined by blood. The memoir of a time of salvation, This Is Happy, is exquisitely taut. Through raw, often agonizing writing, we are surprised by a kind of ‘happy’ that flows quietly from companionship.”

 
David Halton for Dispatches from the Front: Matthew Halton, Canada’s Voice at War, published by McClelland & Stewart 

Of the book, the jury said: “Seventy years ago, Matthew Halton was a household name in Canada. While he was a student in England, Lady Nancy Astor befriended him, providing entry to the political elite. He parlayed access into vital journalism, reporting in the 1930s from Germany where he foretold Hitler’s march to war; then from the battle sites of Al Alamein, Sicily, and Normandy. His vivid personal style gave authority to his work, mesmerizing CBC radio audiences. No hagiography, David Halton’s Dispatches from the Front is a loving but honest account of a father’s triumphs and failings, written in lucid, urgent prose.”


Wab Kinew for The Reason You Walk, published by Viking Canada

Of the book, the jury said: “Brutally honest, original, funny, uncomfortable, and compelling, Wab Kinew’s memoir explores the personal reconciliation of a father and son and that of a country searching for healing and a way forward. When Wab Kinew’s father was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to reconnect and in so doing learned about his dad’s terrifying childhood at residential schools. The reader is transported into an extraordinary world of truth and reconciliation. As he explains: “during our time on earth, we ought to love one another, and that when our hearts are broken, we ought to work hard to make them whole again.”


Rosemary Sullivan for Stalin’s Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva, published by HarperCollins Publishers

Of the book, the jury said: “Combining exacting research with brilliant storytelling, Rosemary Sullivan tells us what it means to be the daughter of Joseph Stalin. As terrifying and mystifying as Stalin was to the Soviets and to the rest of the world, he was doubly so to Svetlana. The result for her was, of course, tragic. The achievement of Rosemary Sullivan’s Stalin’s Daughter is that in this portrait we see the inescapability of tyranny, when the tyrant’s rule is not only political but also personal.”


Noreen Taylor, founder of the Prize and chair of the Charles Taylor Foundation, expressed her delight at the shortlist, stating: “Having read each of the books on the longlist, I know how difficult it must have been to arrive at today’s decision. The jury had to choose between a dozen excellent books, with subjects spanning the deeply personal to the poetic and a quality of writing that is uniformly strong. Hearing now the titles on their shortlist, I am once again impressed by the calibre of our fifteenth jury: their selections reflect the impressive range and passion that is synonymous with the best traditions of literary non-fiction.”

Vijay Parmar, President of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, shared Mrs. Taylor’s enthusiasm and commented: “RBC Wealth Management is proud to be the longtime presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize, working in partnership with the Charles Taylor Foundation to bring these thought provoking books to the reading public.”

The RBC Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. All finalists will be supported with extensive publicity and promotional opportunities over the next two months.

Public events already confirmed include a free 90-minute Round Table Discussion in the Atrium of the Toronto Reference Library in downtown Toronto on Thursday, March 3rd, presented by the Toronto Public Library and Harbourfront Centre’s International Festival of Authors; and the Ben McNally/ The Globe and Mail Authors Brunch on Sunday, March 6th at 10:00 a.m. at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto (for tickets, please contact Ben McNally Books at (416) 361-0032 or visit benmcnallybooks.com).

On Monday, March 7th the finalists will be celebrated and the fifteenth winner announced at the annual RBC Taylor Prize gala luncheon at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. The winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and a crystal trophy; the remaining four finalists will each receive $2,000.


About The RBC Taylor Prize
Established biennially in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation, 2016 marks the fifteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists, as well as promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries. All authors are presented with a custom leather bound version of their shortlisted book at the awards ceremony.

Sharing a commitment to emerging Canadian talent, The Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also grant the third annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Award. Shortly after the March 7th announcement of the 2016 Prize winner, he or she will name their choice of emerging author to receive this award.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley, Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor.

The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management. Its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean’s magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Ben McNally Books, Event Source, IFOA, The Omni King Edward Hotel, and the Toronto Public Library Board.

For General information about the prize visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.

Follow us on on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize.

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Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates
Stephen Weir: 416.489.5868 | cell: 416.801.3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com

To download high-resolution images of the finalists and their book covers, please go to www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2016/2016_shortlist.zip.

To download high-resolution images of the longlisted authors and their book covers please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2016/2016_longlist.zip.

To download high-resolution images of the trustees and the jury please go to: www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2016/2016_trustees_and_jury.zip

RBC Taylor Prize Shortlist Press Conference At King Edward Hotel

Drop me a note if you would like to attend. Always starts on time. Never longer than 40 minutes.

RBC Taylor Prize 2016 Shortlist To Be Revealed January 13, 2016
Jury will choose up to five books from its longlist

TORONTO, Dec. 29, 2015 /CNW/ - The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation request the media to attend a conference to announce the finalists for the 2016 RBC Taylor Prize. The 30-minute press conference will take place Wednesday, January 13, 2016 10 a.m. sharp  in the Consort Bar  (Main Level ) of The Omni King Edward Hotel, 37 King Street East Toronto, ON M5C 1E9
The announcement of the fifteenth RBC Taylor Prize shortlist will be made by Prize Founder Noreen Taylor and members of the Prize Foundation.  The shortlisted authors will be celebrated and the winner announced at a gala awards luncheon on Monday, March 7th. at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto.
There will be up to five authors/books on this year's shortlist.  The 3-member jury will choose from the longlist announced earlier in December.
2016 RBC Taylor Prize Longlist:
Sixty: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning? By Ian Brown (Toronto), published by Random House Canada
'Membering by Austin Clarke (Toronto), published by Dundurn Press
Two Days in June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours that Made History by Andrew Cohen (Ottawa), published by McClelland & Stewart
Road Trip Rwanda: A Journey Into the New Heart of Africa by Will Ferguson (Calgary), published by Viking Canada
This Is Happy by Camilla Gibb (Toronto), published by Doubleday Canada
Dispatches from the Front: Canada's Voice at War by David Halton (Ottawa), published by McClelland & Stewart
The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew (Winnipeg), published by Viking Canada
Zoroaster's Children: & Other Travels by Marius Kociejowski (London, England), published by Biblioasis
Genius at Play: The Curious Mind of John Horton Conway by Siobhan Roberts (Toronto), published by Bloomsbury U.S.A.
Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva by Rosemary Sullivan (Toronto), published by HarperCollins Publishers
The Prison Book Club by Ann Walmsley (Toronto), published by Viking Canada
Into the Blizzard: Walking the Fields of the Newfoundland Dead by Michael Winter (Toronto), published by Doubleday Canada

About The RBC Taylor Prize

Established biennially in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation, 2016 marks the fifteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor's pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists, as well as promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries.

RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award

Established jointly by RBC and the Taylor Prize to promote emerging talent in non-fiction, the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award consists of a $10,000 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to be mentored by the RBC Taylor Prize winner.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley, Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor.
The presenting sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize is RBC Wealth Management. Its media sponsors are The Globe and Mail (exclusive newspaper sponsor), CNW Group, The Huffington Post Canada, Maclean's magazine, and Quill & Quire magazine; its in-kind sponsors are Ben McNally Books, Event Source, IFOA, The Omni King Edward Hotel, and the Toronto Public Library Board.

To download high-resolution images of the longlisted authors and their book covers
www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2016/2016_longlist.zip

To download high-resolution images of the trustees and the jury www.rbctaylorprize.ca/2016/2016_trustees_and_jury.zip

For more information please visit: www.rbctaylorprize.ca.
RBC Taylor Prize on Twitter at www.twitter.com/taylorprize
Facebook At www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize

For further information:
Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868, cell: 416-801-3101, stephen@stephenweir.com