The Orange Prize for Fiction is a celebration of women's writing, not a moan, that champions hidden talent and inspires everyone to get stuck into a book, writes Martha Lane Fox.
Martha Lane Fox is one of the
backers of the newly-named Women's Prize for
Fiction.
In 2009 I was asked to be one of the Orange Prize for Fiction judges. I loved
it.
Although my boyfriend groaned every time I opened another book, I revelled in
it. As I charged through the 30 or so books I was sent over in a large box
around Christmas, I entered worlds as diverse as 1930s New York, to the
Cotswolds in the 1980s, to Japan in the future. It was an incredible treat and a
privilege. Marilynne Robinson won for her novel
Home and meeting her at the ceremony was one of the
highlights of the whole experience.
I was delighted when the prize's co-founder, Kate Mosse, asked me if I would
like to join the board that had set up the prize and I couldn't say 'yes' fast
enough.
It is the largest-selling book prize in the world and the only one that is
entirely devoted to women. It is a celebration, not a moan. It is to inspire
more reading among both genders and to show the fabulous breadth of talent out
there.
The prize has become very important in driving a diverse range of book sales
as well as championing the talent that might be hidden in some far corner of the
globe.
So, it was imperative that as Orange decided to move away from this
particular kind of corporate sponsorship, we found another way of
supporting this important cultural institution.
Full story at The Telegraph
Full story at The Telegraph
