Staying north of the border for one more post, I'm hoping some of you will have heard of The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and if not you are about to, so please settle back in your chair and read on because I NEED you.
Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With a total value of over £30,000, it is unique for rewarding writing of exceptional quality which is set in the past.
Sponsored by Sir Walter Scott’s distant kinsmen the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the Prize celebrates quality, and innovation of writing in the English language, and is open to books published in the previous year in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Reflecting the subtitle ‘Sixty Years Since’ of Scott’s most famous work Waverley, the majority of the storyline must have taken place at least 60 years ago.
The Prize was founded in 2009, and is awarded at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, in June every year. The winner receives £25,000 and shortlisted authors each receive £1000. In addition, the Walter Scott Prize Academy, made up of a panel from across the Commonwealth and UK, chooses a ‘recommended’ list of titles every year.
Firstly let's sort this out...if you are trying to pronounce 'Buccleuch' remember DorOthy Dunnet like Buck-loo.
If I am honest, the Walter Scott Prize has only really entered my radar recently, and more especially with the most recent winner The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers but I (and I expect many others) have been approached by Richard, Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury in a letter as follows...
Dear Lynne,
As founder and sponsor of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, I am hoping I may be able to enlist your help to spread the reach of this prestigious prize further around the world.
The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction awards a book published in the previous year with a substantial £25,000 award – making it one of the most valuable fiction prizes in the UK. Founded in 2010, the prize seeks to honour the reputation of the inventor of the historical novel, Sir Walter Scott, and has been awarded to some of our best-loved authors as well as some whom we hope will be newly discovered by readers. Previous prizewinning books have included Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, The Long Song by Andrea Levy, John Spurling’s The Ten Thousand Things, Simon Mawer’s Tightrope, Sebastian Barry’s Days Without End and, last year, Benjamin Myers’ The Gallows Pole.
We very much hope that you might agree to join an honorary ‘Academy’, made up of well read folk who can share their enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, new books that might be suitable for our prize. All we ask is that, as an Academician, you let us know of any novels published in 2018 in any of the Commonwealth countries, the UK or Ireland, that you think would be suitable for the prize. If eligible, these would then go forward for judging.
The prize rules demand that the book has its first publication between 1st January and 31st December 2018, and has a historical setting – the benchmark taken from Walter Scott himself is ‘at least sixty years ago’, although we accept books which switch between past and present, as long as the majority is set in the past.
A panel of 8 judges (including broadcasters James Naughtie and Kirsty Wark, writers Kate Figes and Elizabeth Laird, my wife the Duchess, and chair of judges Alistair Moffat) decides on a longlist in February and a shortlist in April, basing their choices on the criteria of originality, innovation, and potential longevity of the work, with quality of writing as the deciding factor. We are proud to insist on a high literary standard for our shortlists, and our reputation grows every year....
With thanks and best wishes
Richard
Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
I'm very happy to spread the word about the prize and though I read a lot I think between us we read even more, so I wrote to the prize administrators to ask if I could possibly add all of you to the academy and they said yes.
I've worked with prize lists before, doing some pre-reading to whittle down submissions to a long list for the judges to then work with (I won't name the prize but it was 104 books reduced to thirty or so). This is slightly different and seems like a wonderful opportunity for us ordinary, yet as we all know extraordinary readers to suggest books for consideration for a major literary prize.
I have highlighted the selection criteria in red above and now I'm hoping you might all have a few suggestions for the prize committee to consider, especially as (don't blush) I have been singing your praises..
I have a supremely well- read worldwide audience who would certainly offer you some excellent suggestions. We will have read far more between us than I have on my own.
Previous winners with links to those I have read are Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, On Canaan's Side and Days Without End by Sebastian Barry, The Long Song by Andrea Levy, The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris, The Ten Thousand Things by John Spurling and Tightrope by Simon Mawer. It's worth checking out previous shortlists too, some excellent reads tucked way there.
Meanwhile a few suggestions from me for next year's Walter Scott prize would have to be
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar ,
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje, (does this squeak through the criteria? I hope so.
Now over to you...I'm relying on you all, check out the eligibility criteria in red above and please do share your best historical fiction reads of 2018.
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