Linden MacIntyre Wins $50,000 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize

CBC investigative  reporter Linden MacIntyre  has won the 2009 Scotiabank Giller prize for his novel The Bishop's Man

The $50,000 Giller Prize is the largest literary prize in Canada.

The Bishop's Man, by Linden MacIntyre follows the story of a Catholic priest whose ideas of the church are challenged by the reality of sexual scandals. MacIntyre told CBC News

It's just a huge honour to be here," MacIntyre said, adding a tribute to the people of Antigonish, N.S., and the priests struggling to work within the Catholic Church today when trust has been shattered by abuse.

"I thought it was time for someone to take a deep look at the impact of sexual abuse on on a lot of people, not the least of which are the priests who have to continue to represent this church, in spite of the bad behaviour and deviance of other priests," he said in describing the inspiration for his book.

The original long list was 96 writers whittled down to the other finalists below.

The Disappeared, by Kim Echlin tells the story of a Canadian teenager who falls in love with a refugee from Cambodia.

The Golden Mean, by Annabel Lyon explores the relationship between Alexander The Great and the philosopher Aristotle.

The Fall, by Colin McAdam tells the story of two young men at an Ottawa Boarding SchoolThe Winter Vault by Anne Michaels follows the story of a couple who share a houseboat on the Nile River during the during the building of the Aswam Dam.