A popular literary prize in Canada has been suspended after the prize finalists publicly protested Amazon’s sponsorship.  Wow.  Imagine that happening with U.S. authors. (No, we can’t imagine it either. heh.)

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The authors said they had not been made aware of the partnership before they were announced as finalists, and the “painful shock” of the discovery made some of them consider withdrawing from the prize. But they decided this would affect both their publishing houses and the students [judging the winners], and so decided instead to air their discomfort in the hope of finding another solution…

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“Our great unease comes from the dangerous competition this giant has with Quebec bookstores. Need we remind you of the precariousness of the book trade and literary publishing? Need we mention the inhumane methods of this online giant, which constitute a danger for small traders and culture at large?”

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We believe that the defence of Québécois literature and the promotion of a multinational that harms bookstores … cannot go together.”

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-Published letter authored by literary finalists

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(source: Canadian literary prize suspended after finalists object to Amazon sponsorship)