Congratulations to Alys Conran whose debut novel Pigeon won readers and judges over to take the audience, category and overall prize at the Wales Book of the Year award ceremony in Cardiff last night. The novel, which was also shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize earlier in the year was the first to be released simultaneously in English and Welsh (in translation by Sian Northey as Pijin).
Alys’s novel was first awarded the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award before moving on to win the main English-language award securing an overall prize of £4,000 as well as a specially commissioned trophy designed and created by the artist Angharad Pearce Jones. The prize was presented to Alys by the Chair of the Arts Council of Wales, Phil George. The readers of Wales agreed wholeheartedly with the judges’ choice this year, as the novel also won the public vote for the Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Award.
‘An exquisite novel by a great new talent.’
M.J. Hyland
Alys Conran's fiction, poetry, and translations have been placed in several competitions, including The Bristol Short Story Prize and The Manchester Fiction Prize. Having previously studied Literature at Edinburgh, she completed her MA in Creative Writing at Manchester. She also ran projects to increase access to creative writing and reading among traditionally excluded groups in North Wales. She was recently awarded a scholarship to write a second novel.
Congratulations also go to Peter Lord, who won the Creative Non-Fiction Award for The Tradition which surveys the evolution of the visual culture of Wales from the Renaissance to the end of the twentieth century in a new, single-volume history.
On the English-language judging panel this year are award-winning author, Tyler Keevil; Senior Lecturer Dimitra Fimi and the Costa Poetry Prize winner Jonathan Edwards.
On behalf of the judging panel, Jonathan Edwards said: 'This year’s winning books are a real celebration of just how exciting, vibrant and diverse literature in Wales currently is. These writers are great talents who have succeeded in proving that Wales is a world-class contributor to literature.'
For more information, including all the Welsh language winners, visit the Literature Wales website. Parthian are really pleased for these two excellent writers and congratulate all the other winners and nominees (especially those who have published with us before!). Heartfelt thanks to Literature Wales, the judges and all the partners in the awards as well.
