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Author Sarah Bernstein wins Canadian fiction prize for her novel 'Study of Obedience'

A protestor holding a sign saying "SCOTIABANK FUNDS GENOCIDE" is escorted off the stage during the Scotiabank Giller Prize in Toronto, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Rob Gillies) (Rob Gillies, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

TORONTO, ONT – Author Sarah Bernstein won the Scotiabank Giller Prize on Monday for her novel “Study for Obedience.”

The Montreal-born, Scotland-based author accepted the $100,000 award remotely from Scotland, where she had a baby just 10 days ago.

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Her novel is about a young woman moving to the remote north where after her arrival, a series of inexplicable events occur.

The 100,000 Canadian dollar ($72,000 U.S.) Giller prize honors the best in Canadian fiction. Past winners have included Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler and Alice Munro.

Just as Bernstein’s name was called at the gala, a protester interrupted the live telecast with anti-Israel war slogans, forcing organizers to repeat the announcement.

The celebrations were also interrupted early in the broadcast when several anti-Israel protesters jumped onstage.

The Giller was created in 1994 by late businessman Jack Rabinovitch in memory of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller.