It was announced on Monday that veteran Canadian broadcaster Michael Enright, American novelist and professor Claire Messud and award-winning UK author Ali Smith will serve as jurors for the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize. This marks the first year that the prize will be awarded by a jury that does not include a Canadian novelist.

This week, The Afterword will introduce you to the three jurors.

First up? Claire Messud.
Official Giller Prize Bio: Claire Messud is the author of three novels and a book of novellas. Her most recent book, The Emperor's Children, an international bestseller, was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, was chosen by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of 2006, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. Twice a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Messud has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She writes for numerous publications including The New York Review of Books, Newsweek, Bookforum, The New York Times, The Globe  Mail and The Irish Times. Messud teaches at Hunter College, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her family. The Afterword: I want to say congratulations, but anyone who has to read 90-odd books over the next six months has quite a task in front of them. Though I imagine you've sat on juries before?
Claire Messud: I have sat on a jury, but not one that asked me to read as much as this. So it will be an adventure.
The Afterword: So how'd you end up on the jury?
Well, it was Jack Rabinovitch who asked me some months ago, and I was thrilled to say yes. I think it's very thrilling for me; I have Canadian roots, but I don't live in Canada, and to have a chance to be involved in Canadian literature is very exciting.
The Afterword: Now, if I'm correct, your mother is Canadian and you grew up partly in Canada?
That's right.
The Afterword: When did you live here last?
1980. It's been a while. I've visited many times: my parents have a house in Napanee, Ontario, so we go there fairly often. But actually live there? It's been a long time.
The Afterword: There's been a discussion in recent years, as the Giller Prize has looked outside Canada's borders -- Colm Tóibín,  Victoria Glendinning, and Russell Banks have all been jurors in recent years. Do you think there's value in having someone who lives outside the country act as a juror?
You know, I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer that. You should probably ask those who organize the prize their feelings about that. For me, there's great value. I think you could make a case that Canadian literature is an international literature, and in that sense there's a value in having [jurors] from outside the country just as all the books themselves have readers outside the country. 
The Afterword: What's the last Canadian book you read?
The last Canadian book I read was Cockroach (by Rawi Hage), which I read in the fall.
The Afterword: Who are your favourite Canadian writers?
There are lots of Canadian writers whose work I love, and lots whose work I've yet to discover. Alice Munro is one of my life-long favourites, Michael Ondaatje is another of my life-long favourites. I'm a great fan of Jane Urquhart -- those are all super-famous authors. I'm a great fan of Catherine Bush's work. But there's lots of people, as I say, whose work I don't know, and I'm looking forward to discovering.
The Afterword: What do you know about your fellow jurors?
Actually, I've met Ali several times. I've liked her work for a long time. I've been a reader and fan for years. I know Michael Enright, not personally, but by his work also. It's an honour to be with them both. 
The Afterword: Have you started reading any of the books yet?
They haven't sent us any yet. I wait with bated breath. Packages should start arriving in the next month, but I'm not exactly sure when.
The Afterword: Well, enjoy your free time while you have it.
It is both exciting and a little daunting.  

This year’s longlist will be revealed on September 20, while the shortlist will be announced on October 5. The award will be handed out on November 9 at a Gala ceremony at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel. The winner of the prize, established by Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, Doris Giller, receives $50,000.