A resident of Prince Edward Island, Nicholas Herring, is a finalist for the prestigious 2026 Giller Prize with his latest novel, “Your Breath in Charcoal.” The Giller Prize unveiled its shortlist of five books through a press release on Monday. Herring, hailing from Murray Harbour, PEI, is a fisherman and carpenter who made it to the award’s longlist shortly after the publication of his novel just a week ago.
Herring, now competing with four other Canadian authors, stands a chance to win the $100,000 prize, which celebrates excellence in Canadian fiction. The jury for this year’s Giller Prize had the daunting task of selecting the shortlist from over 140 submissions, with Herring’s book being published by Goose Lane Editions, based in Fredericton.
Notably, Herring’s first novel, “Some Hellish,” secured the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize in 2022. The winner of the Giller Prize is scheduled to be revealed on November 16, adding to the anticipation surrounding Herring’s literary journey.