News Out Today: Dr. Vincent Lam makes the tough shortlist for a US fiction prize

by Suzan Abrams in Dublin

The award-winning Chinese writer and emergency physician, Dr. Vincent Lam is named as one of just 3 shortlisted short story writers, for a possible triumph in the Story Prize, an annual US book award valued at US$20,000 and offered for a winning short story collection, written in English and published in the States.

Lam who was born in Ontario, Canada and now resides in Toronto with his wife is shortlisted for his book, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures which was published by famed novelist, Margaret Atwood. Lam first made his acquaintance with Atwood on an Artic cruise.

In his collection of tales, Lam who also won the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize - considered to be Canada's most prestigious literary award - and US$40,000 draws on his experiences as a medical student and life in the emergency room.

He will compete against Jim Shephard's Like You'd Understand Anyway and British author, Tessa Hadley's Sunstroke and other stories for the prize which is to be announced on February 27.

Catch Dr. Vincent Lam's website here.
Sarah does a super review of Jim Shephard's short story collection in her blog, over here.
More about Tessa Hadley here

Photo Credit: Aaron Harris of Canadian Press