The Wainwright Prize shortlist
It seems barely a week goes by without the announcement of another literary prize shortlist, but The Wainwright Prize for UK Nature & Travel Writing – new for this year – is a really strong […]
Ben East
Maggie And Me by Damian Barr
The Observer, April 2014 When Damian Barr’s memoir Maggie and Me was published last April, complete with Margaret Thatcher beaming beatifically from its front cover, it seemed immaculately timed. Thatcher had died earlier that month, and his book began […]
Author Sinan Antoon on IFFP and translating his own books
The National, April 2014 When the longlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (IFFP) was announced last month, great play was made of the fact that of the three nominated books set in the Middle […]
Grass roots: the power of landscaping
Vision, April 2014 It’s a monument to modern urban life. The 163-floor Burj Khalifa towers above the Dubai skyline, a gleaming glass and steel minaret. But anyone walking around the foot of this eyecatching skyscraper […]
Hassan Blasim wins IFFP award
Delighted to hear that Hassan Blasim’s The Iraqi Christ has become the first book written in Arabic to win the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. It’s richly deserved for both Blasim, the translator Jonathan Wright, and his UK […]