As we've been reading on many blogs and in many newspapers during the past week, Stef Penney won the 2006 Costa Book of the Year award for her "remarkable debut novel" The Tenderness of Wolves. Formerly the Whitbread Awards, the winner was announced on 7th February 2007. Congratulations to her for what sounds like a remarkable book.
What the judges said: "The Tenderness of Wolves stood out from a very strong shortlist. We felt enveloped by the snowy landscape and gripped by the beautiful writing and effortless story-telling. It is a story of love, suspense and beauty. We couldn't put it down." One of the judges, novelist Adele Geras, has written an entertaining piece in the Guardian book blog about the selection process.
What has this got to do with being evicted, you might ask? Last night, Cathy was entertaining several friends round to celebrate her 16th birthday, which occurred last Wednesday (same day as the Costa award announcement, in fact). Jenny, Malcolm and I didn't want to cramp their style so we went out for dinner. Jenny chose Wagamama's, which pleased me, not only because I like the food there but because it is next door to Borders, which stays open late on Saturdays. So (after a bit of Petrona arm twisting) we popped in after the meal. I bought some books, including The Tenderness of Wolves. But can anyone tell me why on 11 February, having won the prize on the 7th, the book's cover stated: "Winner of the 2006 Costa first novel award"? (This question is to a large extent rhetorical as it isn't too difficult to guess the answer -- unless the book has won two separate Costa prizes, that is.) And why is the paperback on sale at all when the Amazon listing says that it is published in March?
Incidentally, I share Adele Geras's irritation with the extent of the media coverage that has been given to the fact that Stef Penney has never been to Canada, in comparison with discussion of the book itself. Since the invention of the papyrus and parchment, people have written about events and places that they have witnessed only in their imagination. It is interesting to be able to write convincingly about somewhere you have never been, but not overwhelmingly so.
Stef Penney won the Best First Novel which was named a month or so ago. The latest award is for the best book out of all the winners of the various Costa categories. So this might explain the sticker... ?
Posted by: kimbofo | 11 February 2007 at 18:32
Thanks, Kim. I didn't make it very clear in my post, sorry, that the wording on the cover isn't a sticker, it is actually part of the cover design. And these things are not put together in days: months more like. That is what struck me as so strange.
Posted by: Maxine | 11 February 2007 at 18:37
Hmmm, the plot thickens!
Posted by: kimbofo | 11 February 2007 at 20:40
What is "Wagamama's"? I like the name!
We went out, en famille, last night -- a rarity, since the 18-year-old usually has much better things to do than hang out with her family. Saw an eerie but good Spanish movie: "Pan's Labyrinth." I think you would like it a lot, Maxine.
Must check out "Tenderness of Wolves." At least, when I'm done reading through Stoppard plays (which are entrancing me -- just now in the middle of "Indian Ink").....
As for the cover: They may literally have just added the award to the pdf file of the cover before it was sent to press. You may have, quite literally, bought a book that was hot off the press.
Posted by: Susan Balée | 11 February 2007 at 22:56
Wagamamas is a Japanese-style fast food restaurant. You sit on long benches. The menu is basically soups and curry. Lots of vegetarian. They have sprung up everywhere in the UK over the past 10 years. They even sold lots of accessories through Boots the chemist this Christmas (Wagamama woks, cookbooks, pinnies etc) Beats Macdonalds or pizza, not that that is saying much. But is it one of the few restaurants that we can go to en famille and know that everyone is going to be able to eat food they actively like.
The PDF theory-- well, I know book publication cycle is much slower than magazines. On Nature we sign off the cover on a tuesday 36 hours before the journal is printed (in USA, UK and Japan) for early distribution wednesday, pub. date thursday But I believe that book publishing has to be a great deal slower than that....you could be right, Susan. I am afraid I am more of a subscriber to the theory that the winners were known rather longer ago than was let on at the "prizegiving".
Posted by: Maxine | 12 February 2007 at 20:52
And you could be right about that, too. There's an awful lot of politics connected to literary prizes. Even "blind judges" often "see" remarkably well the authors on whom they're bestowing awards.
At other times, I think Politics with a capital "p" enters into it: Otherwise, I can't for the life of me explain Harold Pinter's getting a Nobel Prize. I mean, he's obviously written some important plays (though, sadly, I don't get 'em), but his latest efforts were all screeds against the Iraq War published as poetry. (He and David Hare should do a play in verse together on that topic.)
Posted by: Susan Balée | 12 February 2007 at 21:52
Yes, in my (very) limited experiences of literary awards you do get to know a few weeks before the event but are sworn to secrecy...
Posted by: Clare | 12 February 2007 at 22:06
By the way, thanks for the recommendation to Pan's Labyrinth, Susan -- Kim of Reading Matters also loved this movie and recommended it. It is almost out on DVD in the UK so it is on my Amazon rent list. Unfortunately I never actually get to watch such movies unless they also happen to be ones that everyone else wants to watch, but I have my hopes. And if you leave DVDs on the rent list for long enough, the buying price eventually comes down to that of the rental, so then you can just buy the DVD (and still not watch it).
Harold Pinter is not to my taste either but he has long been revered in the UK (since 1958). He is a serious literary figure over here.
Posted by: Maxine | 13 February 2007 at 07:59
Woo-hoo, Pan's Labyrinth was best foreign film at the BAFTAs!
As to the PDF thing, we sign off our newspaper cover 24 hours before distribution. In the past I once worked on a publication in which we were given special permission to sign off a cover just 12 hours before it hit the newstand -- this was to ensure we got the photo of an Olympic gold medallist on the cover!
Posted by: kimbofo | 13 February 2007 at 17:44