The Diamond Dagger, awarded for sustained excellence in crime writing, was presented to bestselling historical author Lindsey Davis during a champagne reception at the Savoy hotel. Davis is the creator of the well-loved ancient Roman private eye Marcus Didius Falco, and widely recognised as the godmother of the historical crime genre.
At the same ceremony, Arnaud Bamberger of Cartier UK announced that this would be the final presentation of the award that Cartier would sponsor. The decision marks the conclusion of one of the most longstanding literary prize sponsorships, and coincides with M Bamberger ending his 18-year tenure as Managing Director of Cartier UK. He remains with the company as Executive Chairman.
The award, a silver book with a diamond-encrusted Dagger plunged into the pages, has long been recognised as the highest accolade a crime writer can earn. Past winners include PD James, Ruth Rendell, John le Carré and Ian Rankin.
CWA Chair Peter James said: ‘The CWA owes an enormous debt to Cartier for their long support of this unique award. Although we’re sad to say goodbye to them, it opens up a great opportunity for a new sponsor at a time when the CWA has very exciting plans for expansion.’
Lindsey Davis said: ‘This really will be the best night of my career. I will treasure this award not only because it was nominated by colleagues, but because it represents so much friendship from our special sponsors at Cartier.’
Arnaud Bamberger with Lindsey Davis
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