Tuesday, 2 December 2008

The Hawthornden Prize

The oldest of the major British literary prizes was founded in 1919 by Miss Alice Warrender. It is awarded annually to an English writer for "the best work of imaginative literature," which is liberally interpreted and thus may include biography, travel, art history, etc, as well as fiction and drama. There is no competition; books do not have to be, and in fact cannot be, submitted. A panel of judges decides the winner. Young authors are particularly encouraged. The current value of the prize is £10,000.

Some winners

1919 Edward Shanks - The Queen of China

1927 Henry Williamson - Tarka the Otter

1935 Robert Graves - I, Claudius

1960 Alan Sillitoe - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

1989 Alan Bennett - Talking Heads

1999 Antony Beevor - Stalingrad

2006 Alexander Masters - Stuart: A Life Backwards 

See the full list at http://facstaff.unca.edu/moseley/hawthorn.html

No comments: