Newsletter: December 2008

The weather is getting distinctly wintry here in the UK (snow this morning!), and the book industry is gearing up for what it hopes will be an un-credit crunched Christmas period. The literary world is abuzz with talk of who will be the next Poet Laureate when the present incumbent, Andrew Motion, steps down in January. For the first time the UK public get to have a say (and we're collecting suggestions over on the EnCompass discussion board too), and many have called for a woman to get the job - again, for the frst time. Meanwhile Motion has offered his advice to the next candidate. So watch this space...

Still on poetry, and Judith Palmer has taken over the helm at the Poetry Society, the UK organisation which aims to increase poetry's impact and reach. In an article in The Guardian, Palmer listed plans to bring poetry to the worlds of knitting, the Olympics, and prescriptions. As well as, less catchily but perhaps more importantly, helping poets make a living from their work.

On the prize front, it's been a busy time for the folks at Booktrust. Three of the book prizes which the charity adminstrates have been awarded during the last few weeks. And the winners are...

Henry Hitchings (pictured below with judges Joolz Denby, Henry Sutton and Sarah Hall) who was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2008 for The Secret Life of Words, his engaging account of how the English language came to be. Hitchings received a cheque for £5,000 at the ceremony in London.

Patrick Ness, who picked up the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008 for his novel The Knife of Never Letting Go. Ness (pictured holding his award below) received a cheque for £2,500 at the awards ceremony in London. The book tells the story of a dystopian world where women have been banished and all the men have been infected with a virus that enables everyone to hear each others’ thoughts.

And Children's Laureate Michael Rosen announced the winners of the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which honours the funniest books for children. For children aged six and under, the winning book was The Witch’s Children Go to School by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Russell Ayto. For children aged seven to fourteen, the winning book was Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman. The winners received a cheque for £2,500. The judges are pictured below.

Turning to non-Booktrust awards now, this year's Dylan Thomas Prize has been awarded to Nam Le for his debut collection of short stories, The Boat. Born in Vietnam, raised in Australia and now living in the United States, Le (below, who certainly gets my award for the best-dressed writer) wins £60,000. The prize is awarded every two years to a writer under the age of thirty.

Probably the least chuffed award winner this month though has been Rachel Johnson, who scooped the Literary Review's (un)coveted Bad Sex Award, in recognition of the distinctly dodgy amorous scenes in her novel Shire Hall. John Updike received a Lifetime Achievement Award, but wasn't present to collect it. Surprise, surprise.

And finally, not a winner but some contenders. The shortlists for this year's Costa Book Awards have been announced. Vying for the top prizes will be:

 
The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams, The Outcast by Sadie Jones, Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, and Inside the Whale by Jennie Rooney (for the Costa First Novel Award); Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray, The Carbon Diaries by Saci Lloyd, Just Henry by Michelle Magorian, and Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine (for the Costa Children's Award); Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill, Bloomsbury Ballerina by Judith Mackrell, If You Don't Know Me By Now: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton by Sathnam Sanghera, and Chagall by Jackie Wullschlager (for the Costa Biography Award); The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, The Other Hand by Chris Cleave, A Partisan's Daughter by Louis de Bernieres, and Trauma by Patrick McGrath (for the Costa Novel Award); and For All We Know by Ciaran Carson, The Broken Word by Adam Foulds, Sunday at the Skin Launderette by Kathryn Simmonds, and Salvation Jane by Greta Stoddart (for the Costa Poetry Award).

Phew. The winners of the five categories will be announced on 6th January, and each will then go on to compete for the overall Book of the Year prize. 

Susan Tranter

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