LONDON, UK – Days Without End, a powerful novel of duty and family set against the American Indian and Civil Wars by Irish novelist and playwright Sebastian Barry, has been named the 2016 Costa Book of the Year.
Barry’s win secures him a unique place in literary history as the first novelist to ever win the overall Book of the Year twice. Poets Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes are the only two writers to have achieved the double to date.* Barry first won the Book of the Year in 2008 for his fourth novel, the bestselling The Secret Scripture.
The announcement was made this evening (Tuesday 31st January) at an awards ceremony held at Quaglino’s in central London.
Days Without End, Barry’s seventh novel, sees narrator Thomas McNulty recount how, having fled Ireland when orphaned during the Great Famine, he made his way across America as part of the US Cavalry.
With his long-time friend and companion John Cole, Thomas witnesses the birth of America – from the atrocities committed against the Native Americans to the horrors of the Civil War – and, ultimately, finds his own family and identity.
Professor Kate Williams, chair of the final judges, said: “We all loved this magnificent, searing, thrilling book – brutal, terrifying yet with moments of light and beauty. Brilliant writing that takes you to the depths and the heights of humanity, and a voice you simply can’t forget.”
Williams chaired a final judging panel that included BAFTA-winning comedian and presenter, Graham Norton; Downton Abbey and Cold Feet actor, Robert Bathurst; broadcast journalist and author, Sian Williams; writers Nicci Gerrard and Matthew Dennison; author-illustrator Cressida Cowell; and journalists Kate Kellaway and Charlotte Heathcote.
Barry beat bookmakers’ favourite, debut non-fiction writer Keggie Carew, for Dadland, debut novelist Francis Spufford for Golden Hill, poet Alice Oswald for Falling Awake, and YA writer Brian Conaghan for The Bombs That Brought Us Together to win the overall prize and a cheque for £30,000 at the awards ceremony.
The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland and also, uniquely, recognises the most enjoyable books across five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – published in the last year.
Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, Costa announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK’s most prestigious book prize in 2006. 2016 marks the 45th year of the Book Awards.
Days Without End, published by Faber, is the twelfth novel to take the overall prize. Hilary Mantel was the last author to take the Book of the Year with a novel in 2012 with Bring Up the Bodies.
The 2015 Costa Book of the Year was The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge, only the second children’s book in the prize’s history to win Book of the Year.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won twelve times by a novel, five times by a first novel, six times by a biography, seven times by a collection of poetry and twice by a children’s book.
Jess Kidd wins 2016 Costa Short Story Award
Also announced at the ceremony was the winner of the Costa Short Story Award. Debut novelist Jess Kidd from Richmond, Surrey won the public vote and £3,500 for her story, Dirty Little Fishes.
Two runners-up, writer Billy Callaghan from Cork, Ireland and Edinburgh-based writer Rob Ewing, received £1,000 and £500 respectively.
Established in 2012, the new Award – run in association with the Costa Book Awards but judged independently of the main five-category system – is unique in that it was judged anonymously (ie without the name of the author being known throughout the process).
It is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words written in English by an author aged 18 years or over, and is open to both published and unpublished writers.
A shortlist of three stories was selected by a panel of judges – Sarah Franklin, Joe Haddow, Adele Parks, Simon Trewin and Kit de Waal – and then made available on the Costa Book Awards website for the public to download and vote for their favourite.
Costa Managing Director, Dominic Paul, announced the winner and runners-up and presented them with their cheques.
