Source : Times of India
The Costa Book Awards is a yearly prize which is felicitated to some of the most outstanding books of the year written by authors who are based in the UK and Ireland. ‘Launched in 1971 as the Whitbread Literary Awards, they became the Whitbread Book Awards in 1985, with Costa taking over in 2006,’ reads a statement on the official website. The award is given in five categories, namely, Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry, and Children’s Book.
The Costa Book Award winners for various categories were announced recently and Irish novelist Sally Rooney has become the youngest-ever writer to win the Costa Novel Award. Rooney, 27, won the award for her second book titled Normal People, which is a coming-of-age love story. “A trailblazing novel about modern life and love that will electrify any reader,” the judges said about the book.
The Costa First Novel Award was given to Stuart Turton for his debut murder mystery book The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle. Praising the book, the judges said in a statement, “This ingenious, intriguing and highly original mindbender of a murder mystery gripped us all. We were all stunned that this exciting and accomplished novel, planned and plotted perfectly, is a debut. Fresh, enticing and completely unputdown.” The crime novel has also been optioned for television.
Bart van Es’ book The Cut Out Girl won the Biography prize. Es is an Oxford professor and his book is a touching story of war, loss, survival, families and human ties. A “unanimous winner”, the judges called the book “the hidden gem of the year.”
Scottish poet JO Morgan won the Poetry Award for his book-length war poem Assurances. The poem is said to be inspired by the poet’s father, who was an RAF officer. “We were all gripped by this polyphonic book-length poem and dazzled by its originality and inventiveness,” said the judges.
The Children’s Book Award was given to Hilary McKay for The Skylarks’ War. Called “as perfect a novel as you could ever want to read” by the judges, the book is about three children Clarry, Peter and Rupert and how their lives are affected by the war.
All the five winners, selected out of 641 entries, will receive £5,000 each. Out of these five winners, one will be chosen for the 2018 Costa Book of the Year award. The award ceremony will be held in London on January 29.
