Canisia Lubrin wins Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for ‘Code Noir’

By Canadian Press on May 1, 2025.

Canisia Lubrin has won the 2025 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her book “Code Noir.”

The Whitby, Ont.-based author will receive US$150,000.

The award is the largest English-language literary prize for women and non-binary authors and is open to Canadians and Americans.

Another Canadian entry among the five shortlisted books was “Pale Shadows,” written by Dominique Fortier and translated by Rhonda Mullins.

Jury members praised Lubrin’s prose as “polyphonic,” calling “Code Noir” a “virtuoso collection that breaks new ground in short fiction.”

Lubrin’s other work has been recognized with the Griffin Poetry Prize, OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, Windham-Campbell prize for poetry and more.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.

The Canadian Press