The Prize for New Fiction
Unemployed civil servant makes shortlist for £10,000 Prize
- Bookies back former commissioning editor of ELLE Magazine India to win
The shortlist for The Desmond Elliott Prize 2011, the award for a first novel published in the UK, is announced today, Wednesday 25 May 2011.
The three writers shortlisted for the prize include Dazed & Confused writer Ned Beauman, unemployed civil servant Stephen Kelman and former commissioning editor of ELLE Magazine India Anjali Joseph. Both Beauman and Joseph had been working as journalists when they wrote their first novels, whereas Kelman had just been made redundant from his job as a civil servant when he was snapped up by publisher Bloomsbury.
The Desmond Elliott Prize 2011 shortlist is as follows:
- Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman (Sceptre)
- Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (Bloomsbury)
- Saraswati Park by Anjali Joseph (Fourth Estate)
Edward Stourton on behalf of the judges, comments:
“In a strong field these three books stood out for very different reasons; one is startlingly original and written with compelling energy, one is subtle, complex and finely-woven, and one a remarkable imaginative achievement that deals with a difficult subject. Anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction should read them all.”
The Desmond Elliott Prize 2011 is chaired by Edward Stourton acclaimed broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Show. Edward Stourton is joined by Fanny Blake, journalist, writer and Books Editor of Woman&Home magazine, and Amy Worth, part of the Kindle team at Amazon.co.uk and champion of digital publishing.
William Hill bookmakers gave the following odds on this year’s shortlist:
Saraswati Park by Anjali Joseph (Fourth Estate) - 6/4 Favourite
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (Bloomsbury) – 7/4 second favourite
Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman (Sceptre) – 2/1 third favourite
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe commented, “All three would be worthy winners – an old racing saying advises ‘always back the outsider in a three horse race’ – and I will not be surprised whichever author comes out on top.”
When choosing a winner, the judges will be looking for a novel of depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The work should be vividly written and confidently realised and should contain original and arresting characters. Entries have been considered from all fiction genres.
The Prize was inaugurated in honour of publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott, one of the most charismatic and successful men in this field, who died in August 2003. He stipulated that his estate should be invested in a charitable trust that would fund a literary award “to enrich the careers of new writers”. Worth £10,000 to the winner, the Prize is intended to support new writers and to celebrate their fiction.
The winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2011 will be announced on Thursday 23 June at Fortnum & Mason, Desmond’s ‘local grocer’, in London.
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