Mrs M & I have just come back from the Dylan Thomas Prize dinner in Swansea. It was great to see such a glitzy occasion devoted to books and writing and in particular young writers. The winner of the £30,000 prize was, as you may know by now, Maggie Shipstead for her amazing novel ‘Seating … More Dylan Thomas Prize ceremony
The Dylan Thomas Prize judges have announced their shortlist for this year’s prize. You can read more about it here but the shortlist is: ‘The Doll Princess’ by Tom Benn ‘The White Shadow’ by Andrea Eames ‘The Spider King’s Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo ‘Seating Arrangements’ by Maggie Shipstead ‘Once You Break a Knuckle’ by DW Wilson … More Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist
I’ve compiled my instant reviews on the Dylan Thomas Prize contenders into one essay over on Wales Arts Review but with added features like a special edition CD: I’ve imitated the judging process by drawing up a shortlist and choosing a winner. Sadly the winner won’t get anything other than a warm glow of approbation. While … More My Dylan Thomas Prize thoughts on Wales Arts Review
One of the few advantages of being ill for the last week was that it gave me chance to finish reading the books on this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize long list. Here are my thoughts on numbers 7-10 7. ‘Tea at the Grand Tazi’ by Alexandra Singer I’m sorry to say that this was another … More Dylan Thomas Prize 4
5. ‘The Doll Princess’ by Tom Benn This novel won me over. I thought I was going to hate it on the basis of the first few pages and it took some time to adjust both to the Mancunian dialect the characters speak and the bleak moral view of the underworld which they inhabit. But … More Dylan Thomas Prize 3
As you may remember from this post, I’m reading the ten books on the Dylan Thomas Prize long list. Here’s what I thought of numbers 2,3 and 4. 2. ‘Threats’ by Amelia Gray It would be too easy to say that I like this novel. I loved parts of it, hated others and was largely … More Dylan Thomas prize 2
The long list for this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize has just been published and it’s an amazing roll of young writing talent. All are under 30, and two of the authors are only just in their 20s. That fact simultaneously encourages and terrifies me. There’s a press release here and this is the long list: Tom Benn, … More Dylan Thomas Prize longlist
