Orwell Prize Shortlist 2013
The shortlist for the 2013 Orwell Books Prize has been announced. Click on the covers to see what the critics made of the contenders. Here’s a link to the longlist.
The winner will be revealed on May 15th.
Shortlist
A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa by A. T. Williams
On 15 September 2003 Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist, was killed by British Army troops in Iraq. He had been arrested the previous day in Basra and was taken to a military military base for questioning. (Jonathan Cape)
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Burying the Typewriter by Carmen Bugan
One quiet day when her mother was away from home, Carmen Bugan’s father put on his best suit and drove into Bucharest to stage a one-man protest against Ceauşescu. He had been typing pamphlets on an illegal typewriter and burying it in the garden each morning under his daughter’s bedroom window. (Picador)
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From the Ruins of the Empire by Pankaj Mishra
Viewed in the West as a time of self-confident progress, the Victorian period was experienced by Asians as a catastrophe. As the British gunned down the last heirs to the Mughal Empire or burned down the Summer Palace in Beijing, it was clear that for Asia to recover, a new way of thinking was needed. (Allen Lane)
Injustice by Clive Stafford Smith
In 1986, Kris Maharaj, a British businessman living in Miami, was arrested for the brutal murder of two ex-business associates. His lawyer did not present a strong alibi; Kris was found guilty. (Harvill Secker)
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Occupation Diaries by Raja Shehadeh
It is often the smallest details of daily life that tell us the most. And so it is under occupation in Palestine. What most of us take for granted has to be carefully thought about and planned for: When will the post be allowed to get through? Will there be enough water for the bath tonight? How shall I get rid of the rubbish collecting outside? (Profile Books)
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Leaving Alexandria by Richard Holloway
At fourteen, Richard Holloway left his home in the Vale of Leven, north of Glasgow, and travelled hundreds of miles to be educated and trained for the priesthood by a religious order. (Canongate)
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Best free collections of literary letters
Who knew the famously reclusive JD Salinger was such a flirt? A cache of letters to an admiring female fan was found in a shoebox in Toronto last week. “Sneaky girl. You’re pretty”, he writes in reply to her letter and portrait, “I sent off my last photo to a little magazine, but I’m having some more made. Rest assured, though, I’m a doll.” To this day, Canadian pensioner Marjorie Sheard isn’t that impressed: “He was tall, dark and handsome but he was one of those people that didn’t age terribly well because he didn’t stay that way.” If you enjoy nosing through authors’ correspondence, we’ve raided Project Gutenberg to bring you the best free collections of literary letters.
1. The Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert Imlay by Mary Wollstonecraft
2. The Letters of Jane Austen by Jane Austen
3. Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) by Edward Gibbon
4. Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Volume I (of 2) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
5. The Letters of Henry James (Vol. I) by Henry James
6. Louisa May Alcott : Her Life, Letters, and Journals by Louisa May Alcott
7. Letters of John Keats to His Family and Friends by John Keats
8. The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn by King of England Henry VIII
The Desmond Elliott Prize Longlist 2013
Click on the covers for the reviews or for the link to the Amazon page.
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Prepare to be transported to 1930s Paris where legendary musician, Django Reinhardt, has been cast as the lead in a new production of ORPHEUS.
And prepare for your chance to win tickets to see this funny and witty production courtesy of Little Bulb Theatre Company. The Telegraph called it “Such a lot of fun” while Lynn Gardner, theatre critic at The Guardian, tweeted “funny, silly & ultimately a real heart-breaker”.
The performances run from 16 April to 11 May 2013 7:30pm (Sat matinees 2.30pm) and we really recommend it!
To be in the chance of winning a pair of tickets (subject to availability), please tell us why Django Reinhardt’s left hand might not have been especially suited to playing the guitar.
Email answers to competitions@theomnivore.co.uk by midnight tomorrow. That’s Thursday 25th.
Want to know what the critics made of the latest books? The Omnivore rounds up newspaper reviews, bringing you a cross section of critical opinion. Sign up to our newsletter.
Omnivore Digest (LXII)
Click here to read the full Digest.
Want to know what the critics made of the latest books? The Omnivore rounds up newspaper reviews, bringing you a cross section of critical opinion. Sign up to our newsletter.
Naomi Alderman, Tahmima Anam, Ned Beauman, Jenni Fagan, Adam Foulds, Xiaolu Guo, Sarah Hall, Steven Hall, Joanna Kavenna, Benjamin Markovits, Nadifa Mohamed, Helen Oyeyemi, Ross Raisin, Sunjeev Sahota, Taiye Selasi, Kamila Shamsie, Zadie Smith, David Szalay, Adam Thirlwell and Evie Wyld are Granta’s bright hopes for the future.
Click on the covers for the Omnivore roundup.
Want to know what the critics made of the latest books? The Omnivore rounds up newspaper reviews, bringing you a cross section of critical opinion. Sign up to our newsletter.
Women’s Prize for Fiction 2013 Shortlist
Want to know what the critics made of the latest books? The Omnivore rounds up newspaper reviews, bringing you a cross section of critical opinion. Sign up to our newsletter.
