Pages & Proofs

The Bookseller magazine has announced its shortlist for the annual oddest book title of the year, the Diagram Prize. As always, there are some wonderful contenders. Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakeley God’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis by Tom Hickman How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior How [...]

More poetry news, and once again the poems concern a depressing subject. Sharon Olds has just won the TS Eliot poetry prize for her Stag’s Leap collection about divorce, reports The Guardian. The American poet wins £15,000 – a sum donated by Valerie Eliot. The collection operates as what The Observer described as a “calendar [...]

The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award has shortlisted a self-published book about squash among the contenders for its annual prize. Shot and a Ghost by squash player James Willstrop  features alongside titles from traditional publishers of sports books like Yellow Jersey and Ebury Press. It goes without saying that the list includes [...]

Irish journalist Gene Kerrigan has won the Gold Dagger for the best crime novel of the year. The Rage is a “suspense driven storm of violence” set in the backstreets of Dublin. He wins £2,500 and collected the award on Thursday evening. The novel intertwines the stories of thief Vincent Naylor and detective Bob Tidey, [...]

Congratulations to author Hilary Mantel. As predicted, her novel Bring up the Bodies has just been announced in London’s Guildhall as the winner of this year’s £50,000 Man Booker Prize award. This also means that signed copies of Bring Up the Bodies will increase in value very quickly, be quick if you want one. The [...]

Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature, reports the BBC. Born Guan Moye, he writes under the pen name of Mo Yan, which translates as “don’t speak” in Chinese. The 57-year-old began writing while working as a soldier in the Chinese army and was first published in 1981. He is [...]

It’s a little worrying that no corporate sponsors came forward to take over the sponsorship of the Orange Prize for Fiction – one of the UK’s major literary awards. Hats off to Cherie Blair, Joanna Trollope, Martha Lane Fox and the other private donors who have come forward to ensure the prize continues. The Guardian [...]

The BBC reports on Deborah Levy’s route to the Man Booker shortlist for 2012. Levy’s book, Swimming Home, is one of three books on the list that come from small publishers. Swimming Home was published by And Other Stories from that publishing mecca, High Wycombe. The great irony of Levy’s Booker shortlist selection is that [...]

The shortlist for the 2012 Man Booker Prize has been announced.  Hilary Mantel, a previous winner, is the favourite already according to the bookies. I’m sure Salt Publishing will be thrilled to see Alison Moore’s novel through to the big night. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil Swimming Home by Deborah Levy Bring up the Bodies by [...]

It’s safe to say Irvine Welsh isn’t going to be shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize anytime soon. The Trainspotting novelist slammed the prize over the weekend, reports The Guardian. The author was speaking at the Edinburgh International Writers Conference, which sounds like it was a bit tasty. Welsh, who is famous for using Scottish [...]