Despite writing for over 20 years as a journalist and a short story author, Copernicus Avenue is Andrew Borkowski's first novel and consequently first prize.

Last Thursday, when Rabindranath Maharaj won the 37th annual Toronto Book Award, he said he felt great. He admitted it was later, though, that the positive effects really sank in. “My greatest pleasure was two days afterwards when I opened my laptop and I began to write,” Maharaj said.