Date: 25 January 2011 (announcement of 2010 Costa Book of the Year)
Costa Coffee today announces the Costa Book Awards 2010 winners in the Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book categories. The Costa Book Awards recognise some of the most outstanding and enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread PLC, Costa announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK's popular and prestigious book prize in 2006.
The five successful authors who will now compete for the 2010 Costa Book of the Year are:
* Novelist and former journalist, Maggie O'Farrell, who wins her first major literary prize with her fifth novel, The Hand That First Held Mine
* Kishwar Desai who takes the First Novel Award for Witness the Night, which explores India's hidden female infanticide and the first book of a series featuring the unconventional female protagonist, Simran Singh
* Potter and ceramic artist, Edmund de Waal, who collects the Biography Award for his highly-acclaimed memoir, The Hare With Amber Eyes, which the judges called 'a truly special book'
* Jo Shapcott who wins the Poetry Award for Of Mutability, her first new work in over a decade in part influenced by her experience of breast cancer
* Debut writer and web designer, Jason Wallace, who beats best-selling author Jonathan Stroud to claim the Children's Book Award for Out of Shadows
John Derkach, Managing Director, Costa said: "The Costa Book Awards are all about recognising great writing and a good read. This year's winners are, as always, no exception to the rule and we're very proud to be announcing such a terrific collection of books."
The five Costa Book Award winners, each of whom will receive £5,000, were selected from 540 entries. The five books are now eligible for the ultimate prize - the 2010 Costa Book of the Year.
The winner, selected by a panel of judges chaired by publisher and broadcaster Andrew Neil and including David Morrissey, Elizabeth McGovern, Natasha Kaplinsky, Anneka Rice and Adele Parks, will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by presenter and broadcaster Penny Smith at Quaglino's in central London on Tuesday 25th January 2011.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won nine times by a novel, four times by a first novel, five times by a biography, six times by a collection of poetry and once by a children's book. The 2009 Costa Book of the Year was A Scattering by Christopher Reid.
2010 Costa First Novel Award
Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
(Beautiful Books)
About the book:
In a small town in the heart of India, a young girl, barely alive, is found in a sprawling home where thirteen people lie dead. The girl has been beaten and abused. She is held in the local prison, awaiting interrogation for the murders that the local police believe she has committed. But an unconventional visiting social worker, Simran Singh, is convinced of her innocence and attempts to break through the girl's mute trance to find out what happened that terrible night. As she slowly uncovers the truth, Simran realises that she is caught in the middle of a terrifying reality where the unwanted female offspring of families are routinely disposed of.
About the author:
Kishwar Desai has worked in print and broadcast media for over two decades. She has been a journalist, TV producer, anchor and TV channel head and worked with most major Indian networks. Her most recent role was as Vice President for Zee Telefilms.
Her first book, Darlingji: The True Love Story of Nargis and Sunil Dutt (2007), is the biography of two iconic Indian film stars and parliamentarians, and her first play, Manto!, based on the life of the famous Urdu writer, Saadat Hasan Manto, won the TAG Omega Award for Best Play in 1999. Witness the Night is her debut novel and now also the first of a book series. Desai is currently working on the second novel in the series, Baby Love, and another book on Indian cinema. She is married to Lord (Meghnad) Desai, has two grown-up children and lives between London, Delhi and Goa.
What the judges said:
"We were thrilled and exhilarated by this stunning debut. Just like her feisty main character, Desai has fearlessly blown the lid on the problems that simmer under the surface of modern- day India."
Judges:
Shortlist, selected from a total of 94 entries:
More information here.
Costa Coffee today announces the Costa Book Awards 2010 winners in the Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book categories. The Costa Book Awards recognise some of the most outstanding and enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread PLC, Costa announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK's popular and prestigious book prize in 2006.The five successful authors who will now compete for the 2010 Costa Book of the Year are:
* Novelist and former journalist, Maggie O'Farrell, who wins her first major literary prize with her fifth novel, The Hand That First Held Mine
* Kishwar Desai who takes the First Novel Award for Witness the Night, which explores India's hidden female infanticide and the first book of a series featuring the unconventional female protagonist, Simran Singh
* Potter and ceramic artist, Edmund de Waal, who collects the Biography Award for his highly-acclaimed memoir, The Hare With Amber Eyes, which the judges called 'a truly special book'
* Jo Shapcott who wins the Poetry Award for Of Mutability, her first new work in over a decade in part influenced by her experience of breast cancer
* Debut writer and web designer, Jason Wallace, who beats best-selling author Jonathan Stroud to claim the Children's Book Award for Out of Shadows
John Derkach, Managing Director, Costa said: "The Costa Book Awards are all about recognising great writing and a good read. This year's winners are, as always, no exception to the rule and we're very proud to be announcing such a terrific collection of books."
The five Costa Book Award winners, each of whom will receive £5,000, were selected from 540 entries. The five books are now eligible for the ultimate prize - the 2010 Costa Book of the Year.
The winner, selected by a panel of judges chaired by publisher and broadcaster Andrew Neil and including David Morrissey, Elizabeth McGovern, Natasha Kaplinsky, Anneka Rice and Adele Parks, will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by presenter and broadcaster Penny Smith at Quaglino's in central London on Tuesday 25th January 2011.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won nine times by a novel, four times by a first novel, five times by a biography, six times by a collection of poetry and once by a children's book. The 2009 Costa Book of the Year was A Scattering by Christopher Reid.
2010 Costa First Novel Award
Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
(Beautiful Books)
About the book:
In a small town in the heart of India, a young girl, barely alive, is found in a sprawling home where thirteen people lie dead. The girl has been beaten and abused. She is held in the local prison, awaiting interrogation for the murders that the local police believe she has committed. But an unconventional visiting social worker, Simran Singh, is convinced of her innocence and attempts to break through the girl's mute trance to find out what happened that terrible night. As she slowly uncovers the truth, Simran realises that she is caught in the middle of a terrifying reality where the unwanted female offspring of families are routinely disposed of.About the author:
Kishwar Desai has worked in print and broadcast media for over two decades. She has been a journalist, TV producer, anchor and TV channel head and worked with most major Indian networks. Her most recent role was as Vice President for Zee Telefilms.
Her first book, Darlingji: The True Love Story of Nargis and Sunil Dutt (2007), is the biography of two iconic Indian film stars and parliamentarians, and her first play, Manto!, based on the life of the famous Urdu writer, Saadat Hasan Manto, won the TAG Omega Award for Best Play in 1999. Witness the Night is her debut novel and now also the first of a book series. Desai is currently working on the second novel in the series, Baby Love, and another book on Indian cinema. She is married to Lord (Meghnad) Desai, has two grown-up children and lives between London, Delhi and Goa.
What the judges said:
"We were thrilled and exhilarated by this stunning debut. Just like her feisty main character, Desai has fearlessly blown the lid on the problems that simmer under the surface of modern- day India."
Judges:
- Anita Rani TV Presenter
- Anneka Rice Broadcaster
- Mark Thornton Co-owner, Mostly Books, Abingdon
Shortlist, selected from a total of 94 entries:
- Nikesh Shukla's Coconut Unlimited (Quartet Books)
- Aatish Taseer's The Temple-Goers (Viking)
- Simon Thirsk's Not Quite White (Gomer Press)
More information here.
