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Joanna Kavenna wins the 2008 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers
The judges for the 2008 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers are:
Shami Chakrabarti (Chair), Director of LibertyClare Allan, Novelist
Suzi Feay, Literary Editor of Independent on Sunday
The winner of the inaugural Orange Broadband Award for New Writers in 2005 was Diana Evans for her novel 26a. Since her win, Diana has gone on to achieve notable success in a number of other literary awards. Naomi Alderman took the award the following year for her novel Disobedience and has since gone on to win The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2007. Canadian writer Karen Connelly took the Award in 2007 for her novel The Lizard Cage.
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19.15pm, London, 4 June 2008 – British debut author Joanna Kavenna has won the 2008 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers with her novel Inglorious (Faber & Faber).
Chair of Judges, Shami Chakrabarti, presented the £10,000 bursary, provided by Arts Council England, to the author at the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London.
Shami Chakrabarti, Chair of Judges said: ”Dostoevsky meets Bridget Jones in this glorious story of pain, humour and hope. Joanna Kavenna combines courage and elegance in creating an anti-heroine for the 21st century.”
Launched in 2005 as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, the emphasis of the Orange Broadband Award for New Writers is on emerging talent and the evidence of future potential.
All first works of fiction - including novels, short story collections and novellas, written in English by a woman of any age or nationality and published as a book in the UK - are eligible. First time authors can be entered for both the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction and the Orange Broadband Award for New Writers in any one year.
The Award was launched in 2005 in partnership with Arts Council England. Renewing their commitment to the partnership with Orange, Arts Council England recently committed a further £30,000 towards bursary awards for the winners of the Orange Broadband Award for New Writers. By offering a bursary to a novelist or short story writer for her first publication, the Arts Council is able to support the professional development of a writer at a crucial stage in her career.
find out more about Joanna Kavenna and Inglorious
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Well done Joanna, I absolutely love reading your books share and time again. Thanks, Rod.
rod
Dec 17th, 2008 at 10:54:05 hrs
Brilliant writing. I liked how the story evolved, it was so undramatic which made the story more powerful and more real. The problems kept piling up and her life seemed to be on timeshare, they seemed to gain a life of themselves. I am American and live in my condo by the beach but we seem to have this in common with the English, probably with the rest of the world to, is how debt with the interest rates, which I know on credit cards can go as high as 20% or more, can really become overwhelming. The woman in the story has all these other problems and she has the impersonal bank to deal with. Well, I didn't mean for this to become a complaint about the banking system but it seemed apt. In the end the only thing that the protagonist seems able to do is run. In the new world that seems like that will be more and more difficult to pick up and start over somewhere new. But again brilliant writing so buy this book. I can't wait to read the author's first book and anything she chooses to write.
Irene
Oct 11th, 2008 at 23:37:19 hrs
2005? I could have sworn it was 2004. Its a great initiative on the part of orange / the arts council. It would be good to see more companies getting involved with this kind of sponsorghdp.
Carol D
Oct 8th, 2008 at 22:43:23 hrs
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