TORONTO -- A kilt-wearing Calgary humorist Will Ferguson urged attendees at the star-studded Scotiabank Giller bash to raise a glass in honour of his craft Tuesday night as he captured the $50,000 prize for his novel "419."
"I'd like to raise a toast to the written word," the bearded Ferguson said as he accepted the award, pulling a flask out of the sporran attached to his Highland tartan outfit.
"So. Thanks. Ladies and gentlemen: To the written word. And finally, to answer the question you're all wondering -- yes I have something on underneath!"
Ferguson, 48, is widely revered for such comedy chops, having won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humour writing three times.
But his Giller-winning novel (a Viking Canada publication) takes on a serious tone as it focuses on an email scam in Nigeria, where a woman is searching for the culprits behind her father's death.
The mystery follows his previous historical novel, "Spanish Fly," about con artists in the 1930s.
Writing two books about scammers has made Ferguson "very, very paranoid," he admitted.
"The more you write about cons, you start to see them everywhere," he said after nabbing the Giller. "It's like when your wife's pregnant and you see pregnant women everywhere, it's the same idea."
Clearly, penning more serious work hasn't caused Ferguson to lose his satiric edge, which he attributes to his Irish mother.
Earlier in the night, when asked about the lavish praise the Giller judging panel has heaped on "419," he quipped: "I think that means they suspect I have incriminating photographs of (them), which I don't."
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A jubilant Will Ferguson wins Giller prize, raises toast to written word