Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer won China’s top science-fiction award, the Galaxy Award, in the category “Most Popular Foreign Author of the Year.” The award, voted on by Chinese readers, was presented at the Chengdu International Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival on 26 August.
In Sawyer’s acceptance speech, he said “I come from Toronto, which was bidding against Beijing to hold the 2008 Olympics. In fact, I was on a committee to help decide arts and cultural programs that would be held in conjunction with the Olympics, should they be awarded to Toronto. And so I have to confess that I was sad when it was announced that China was getting the 2008 Games. But I forgive you now! I don’t know how many of my countrymen and countrywomen will bring home medals next year—but I feel like I’ve just won a Gold for Canada.” On a more serious note, he added “the great thing about science fiction is that it transcends national boundaries. It’s wonderful to be at a conference along with writers from the United States, England, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, New Zealand, and Canada. Science fiction really is the literature of Planet Earth.”
Chinese translations of Sawyer’s novels are published by Science Fiction World, headquartered in Chengdu, and his short stories have appeared in Science Fiction World magazine, the world’s largest-circulation SF publication; Sawyer is also a past columnist for that magazine.
Sawyer and his wife, poet Carolyn Clink, were on hand for the ceremony. Other non-Chinese sf writers in attendance included David Brin, Neil Gaiman, David Hill, Nancy Kress, and Michael Swanwick.
Sawyer plans to make an appearance at the Beijing International Book Fair later this week before joining the festivities at WorldCon in Japan.
[Editor’s note: we’ll publish the other winners as soon as we get them.]