Galaxy ® British Book Awards
The Oscars of the book trade

Galaxy British Book Awards shortlists 2008

IS IT TO BE A NIBBIE FOR NOBEL LAUREATE LESSING?

Doris Lessing makes a first appearance this year in the Galaxy British Book Awards. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and numerous other prizes, a triumph in the "Nibbies", as they are known, has so far eluded her.

In the shortlists announced today, Lessing, who has written more than 40 novels, is shortlisted for The Reader's Digest Author of the Year for her novel The Cleft.

Lessing said "Any kind of award or prize is good for books because it draws people's attention to them. I am very impressed with the beneficial effect Richard & Judy have had on the publishing industry, they've done very good work in boosting the sales of books."

Indeed Richard & Judy endorsements for such books as Jed Rubenfeld's The Interpretation of Murder, which was among the titles from their on-air book club short-listed for the Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year, and boosted by winning the category last year, went on to sell a massive 819,500 copies.

As for The Author of the Year, Lessing faces some stiff opposition. She is up against US-based Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, set in war-torn Afghanistan. Also very much in the running is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun, set against the backdrop of the Nigeria-Biafra war. Fellow finalist David Peace makes use of rather different historical events in The Damned Utd, basing his novel on Brian Clough's short-lived spell at Leeds United.

Literary giant Ian McEwan is also shortlisted for his novel On Chesil Beach.

For the full shortlist and the rest of this story.....