Each winner of the 1989 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Table of contents
1 English Language
2 French Language
3 Other Governor General's Awards:

English Language

Fiction

Winner:

Other Finalists:
  • Ann Copeland, The Golden Thread
  • Helen Weinzweig, A View from the Roof

Poetry

Winner:

  • Heather Spears, The Word for Sand

Other Finalists:
  • Tim Lilburn, Tourist to Ecstasy
  • Stephen Scobie, Dunino

Drama

Winner:

  • Judith Thompson, The Other Side of the Dark

Other Finalists:
  • Tomson Highway , Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
  • John Krizanc, Tamara

Non-Fiction

Winner:

  • Robert Calder, Willie-The Life of W. Somerset Maugham

Other Finalists:
  • Janice Boddy, Wombs and Alien Spirits
  • Robert MacNeil, Wordstruck
  • Dale A. Russell, An Odyssey in Time: The Dinosaurs of North America

Children's Literature - Text

Winner:

  • Diana Wieler, Bad Boy

Other Finalists:
  • Kit Pearson, The Sky is Falling
  • Eliane Corbeil Roe, Circle of Light

Children's Literature - Illustration

Winner:

  • Robin Muller, The Magic Paintbrush

Other Finalists:
  • Michèle Lemieux, A Gift from Saint Francis
  • Jan Thornhill, The Wildlife 123

Translation (French to English)

Winner:

  • Wayne Grady, On the Eighth Day

Other Finalists:
  • Arlette Francière, Kaleidoscope
  • Donald Winkler, Rose and Thorn

French Language

Fiction

Winner:

Other Finalists:

Poetry

Winner:

  • Pierre Desruisseaux, Monème

Other Finalists:
  • Christiane Frenette, Cérémonie mémoire
  • Elise Turcotte, La Terre est ici

Drama

Winner:

  • Michel Garneau, Mademoiselle Rouge

Other Finalists:

Non-Fiction

Winner:

  • Lise Noël, L'Intolérance : une problématique générale

Other Finalists:
  • Jean Éthier-Blais, Fragments d'une enfance
  • Pierre Morency, L'Oeil américain

Children's Literature - Text

Winner:

  • Charles Montpetit, Temps mort

Other Finalists:
  • Jacques Lazure, Le Domaine des Sans Yeux
  • Joceline Sanschagrin, La Fille aux cheveux rouges

Children's Literature - Illustration

Winner:

  • Stéphane Poulin, Benjamin et la saga des oreillers

Other Finalists:
  • Frédéric Back, L'Homme qui plantait des arbres
  • Philippe Béha, Mais que font les fées avec toutes ces dents?

Translation (English to French)

Winner:

  • Jean Antonin Billard, Les Âges de l'amour

Other Finalists:
  • Ronald Guévremont, Comme un vent chaud de Chine
  • Christine Klein-Lataud, Un Oiseau dans la maison

Other Governor General's Awards:

2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995 - 1994 - 1993 - 1992 - 1991 - 1990 - 1989 - 1988 - 1987 - 1986 - 1985 - 1984 - 1983 - 1982 - 1981 - 1980 - 1979 - 1978 - 1977 - 1976 - 1975 - 1974 - 1973 - 1972 - 1971 - 1970 - 1969 - 1968 - 1967 - 1966 - 1965 - 1964 - 1963 - 1962 - 1961 - 1960 - 1959 - 1958 - 1957 - 1956 - 1955 - 1954 - 1953 - 1952 - 1951 - 1950 - 1949 - 1948 - 1947 - 1946 - 1945 - 1944 - 1943 - 1942 - 1941 - 1940 - 1939 - 1938 - 1937 - 1936