A novel about a winged circus performer has been named
the best winner of Britain's oldest literary award.
Nights At The
Circus by the late Angela Carter was chosen as the best fictional work to have
won the James Tait Black Prize since its creation, in 1919.
The 1984 novel
has beaten works by an array of literary giants, and judges said it showed
"fabulous exuberance" and had wonderfully drawn characters.
Past winners of
the annual prize include greats such as DH Lawrence.
Evelyn Waugh,
EM Forster and Salman Rushdie were also past recipients.
This one-off
"best of the best" award was made to celebrate the 250th anniversary
of English literature study at the University of Edinburgh.
The winning
book focuses on the life and exploits of Sophie Fevvers, a winged circus
performer who travels across Europe from London to the tundra of Siberia.
'Wonderful work'
It was selected
by a judging panel including broadcaster Kirsty Wark and former MI5 director
general Dame Stella Rimmington. They praised writing which showed
"vitality, lightness, passion and fun".
The five other
books which made the final shortlist were: The Heart Of The Matter by Graham
Greene; A Disaffection by James Kelman; The Road by Cormac McCarthy; Crossing
The River by Caryl Phillips; and The Mandlebaum Gate by Muriel Spark.
The winner was
announced by broadcaster Sally Magnusson at a ceremony in London.
Regius
Professor Greg Walker, chair of James Tait Black Prizes, said: "Since 1919
the James Tait Black Awards have represented the very best in fiction and
biographies, and it was a great honour to be able to revisit and celebrate
these wonderful pieces of work."
Awarded by the
university's school of literatures, languages and cultures, the prizes were
founded by Janet Coats, widow of publisher James Tait Black, to commemorate her
husband's love of reading.
Two prizes,
each worth £10,000, are awarded annually by the university for the best work of
fiction and the best biography published in the previous year. They are the
only major British book awards to include scholars and students on the judging
panel.
Source: BBC
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