Oshawa writer wins Ontario’s most prestigious literary prize

A Congo-born writer whose father was imprisoned during a rebellion in the war-torn country in the 1960s has won Ontario’s greatest literary prize.

Aristote Kavungu, an Oshawa-based author who teaches French literature at the École secondaire catholique Saint-Charles-Garnier in Whitby, is the 2025 Prix Trillium winner for his French novel Céline au Congo.

• Céline au Congo, Aristote Kavungu (Les Éditions du Boréal) is a careful and critical re-reading of the work of noted French novelist Louis-Ferdinand Céline – a writer known for his genius and his prejudices.

Kavungu pursued university education at Sorbonne Paris North in France prior to making the move to Canada, where he took screenwriting classes at the Institut national de limage et duson. He published his debut novel, L’Adieu à San Salvador, in 2001, a book that was shortlisted for the Prix Anne-Hebert that year. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2002 short film Pour l’amour d’Aicha, directed by Izabel Barsive.

He followed up in 2003 with Un Train pour l’Est, which was the winner of the Prix Christine-Dumitriu-Van-Saanen and published the novels Une petite saison au Congo in 2010 and Il ne s’est presque rien passé ce jour-là in 2015. In 2016 he published the poetry collection C’est l’histoire d’un enfant qu’on ne raconte pas aux enfants and the short story collection Dame-pipi blues.

In 2019 he published Mon père, Boudarel et moi, a semi-autobiographical novel based in part around his own real-life experiences when, while living in Paris, he found and returned the lost briefcase of accused war criminal Georges Boudarel.

The novel was shortlisted for the Trillium Award in 2020, the same year he published Quand j’étais nègre, a novella that played on the dual meaning of the French word ‘nègre as both the racially loaded term and the occupational term for ghostwriter.

The Trillium Book Award / Prix Trillium has a 38-year tradition of recognizing literary excellence and this year’s winners reflect the rich diversity of Ontario’s literary landscape – from a collection of poems exploring queer desire to a whimsical children’s book infused with magical realism to an autobiographical graphic novel.

Other winners include:

Trillium Book Award (English) | Winner

• I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together, Maurice Vellekoop (Random House Canada / Penguin Random House Canada) – an epic graphic memoir chronicling Vellekoop’s life as a queer illustrator navigating an intensely Christian upbringing in 1970s Toronto. It is only the second graphic novel ever nominated for the Trillium Book Award.

Trillium Book Award for Poetry (English) | Winner

• DADDY, Jake Byrne (Brick Books) – Byrne’s second collection of poetry. The collection offers a powerful look at patriarchy, intergenerational trauma and queer desire, seeking an unravelling of systems of control to reclaim vulnerability.

Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium (French) | Winner

• Le bonnet magique, Mireille Messier (Comme des géants) – an enchanting children’s story of two siblings who embark on a quest to find gnomes with magical healing powers after their beloved pet hedgehog falls ill. Messier has published over 30 books and gives over 100 school presentations every year.

“For nearly four decades, this award has honoured the best of Ontario’s literary talent, showcasing the vibrancy of Ontario’s creative economy,” said Aaron Campbell, the chair of Ontario Creates. “This year’s winners join the ranks of celebrated authors like Michael Ondaatje and Margaret Atwood, continuing a legacy of excellence. We invite all Canadians to discover and champion their works by visiting local independent bookstores and libraries.”

The Trillium Book Award/Prix Trillium winners were announced during an awards ceremony Wednesday evening at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library.

Award recipients receive $20,000 and their respective publishers receive support to promote the winning titles.

Le Prix du livre jeunesse Trillium (en langue française) was introduced in the 20th Trillium year and is awarded in alternating years with le Prix de poésie Trillium. Both awards provide a $10,000 prize.

Previous winners include internationally acclaimed authors as Stuart Ross, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Dionne Brand, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Thomas King, Gilles Lacombe, Marguerite Andersen, Andrée Lacelle, Diya Lim, Lisa L’Heureux and François Paré.

There were 16 finalists nominated for the awards in the four categories, including Morgan Campbell, a Whitby-based journalist who made the list for his debut memoir, My Fighting Family. The book is a hilarious and emotional coming-of-age story, reflecting on family battles across generations and a powerful reckoning with what it means to be Black in Canada – particularly when you have strong American roots.

Ontario is home to the country’s largest book publishing industry, contributing $980M to our economy and supporting over 6,000 jobs each year. The publishing industry, said Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho, is both culturally significant and an economic driving force for the province.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize and celebrate Ontario’s world-class literary talent and support the growth of our diverse literary culture and heritage,” Cho said. “I encourage everyone to take time this summer to enjoy the unique voices and perspectives that make the works of today’s winners and all Ontario authors so special.”

The Trillium Book Awards were established in 1987 to recognize excellence, support marketing and foster increased public awareness of the quality and diversity of Ontario writers and their works.