The British novelist Nicola Barker is this year's winner of the world's richest literary prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Presented for a single work of fiction, the award of £100,000 has been won by Ms Barker for her book Wide Open. She will be officially given the prize by Mr John Hume MEP at a ceremony in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on June 17th.
The announcement of the award was made in Dublin Castle yesterday by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Mary Freehill. Also in attendance were the Minister of State for the Arts, Mr Eamon O Cuiv, the Dublin City Librarian, Ms Deirdre Ellis-King, and the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald. Some surprise was expressed by those present at the winning choice since the shortlist included a number of much better known names including American novelists Toni Morrison (for Paradise), Philip Roth (I Married a Communist) and Michael Cunningham (The Hours).
The other three writers on the list were another American, Alice McDermott (Charming Billy), Jackie Kay from Britain (Trumpet) and the local favourite, Dubliner Colum McCann (This Side of Brightness).
However, in their citation, the judges described Wide Open as "word perfect, witty and ironic" before going on to comment that the book's "dialogue sparkles and its chiselled sentences display both a razor-sharp comic sensibility and flawless structure".
Speaking at the announcement yesterday, the chairman of the judging panel, Prof Allen Weinstein, president and CEO of the Centre for Democracy in Washington DC, said a decision on the winner had been reached democratically and that all the judges "will depart as colleagues and good friends".
In an oblique reference to other, more controversial literary awards, Prof Weinstein also expressed pleasure that "the focus has been on the books and not on the judges".
Most of his fellow panel members were present at Dublin Castle. They are Irish novelist Colm Toibin; the professor of literature at Warwick University, Prof David Dabydeen; novelist, poet and literary critic Prof Alicia Borinsky; and the literary editor of Britain's Independent on Sunday, Suzi Feay. Only Josyane Savigneau, cultural editor of Le Monde, was unable to travel to Dublin. Speaking from her home in London yesterday, Nicola Barker (34) said she was "just bowled over" by the news of her win, adding "all the books shortlisted are absolutely brilliant; I'm humbled to be associated with them in any way." Having heard the citation from Prof Weinstein, she insisted: "I actually think what you read is better than my book".
Asked how she intended to spend her prize money, Ms Barker said: "I'll get a pension and some new running shoes - that doesn't sound very good for someone who works with the imagination, does it?" The annual International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award was established in 1996 jointly by the management productivity enhancement company IMPAC and Dublin Corporation. Aside from the size of the prize, one of its other distinguishing features is that the award's original nominations are made by public libraries worldwide. This year's award received nominations from over 100 libraries in 34 countries.