LONDON – Costa Coffee today announces the Costa Book Awards 2013 winners in the Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book categories. The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland.
It 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. 2013 marks the 42nd year of the Book Awards. The five winning authors who will now compete for the 2013 Costa Book of the Year are:
- Kate Atkinson, who takes the Costa Novel Award for her eighth novel, Life After Life, 20 years after winning the Whitbread Book of the Year for her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum
- Writer, lecturer and mental health nurse Nathan Filer wins the Costa First Novel Award for The Shock of the Fall – the story of Matthew and his descent into madness as he confronts his role in the boyhood death of his older brother
- Fresh from winning the 2013 Samuel Johnson Prize, biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett now takes the Costa Biography Award for The Pike, an account of the life of Gabriele D’Annunzio, poet, daredevil and one of the early precursors of Fascism
- Poet Michael Symmons Roberts wins the Poetry Award for the second time with his sixth collection, Drysalter
- Author, illustrator and political cartoonist Chris Riddell wins the Costa Children’s Book Award for Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse which the judges called ‘an instant classic for children of all ages’
“Our judges have selected five superb books that readers of all tastes are going to really enjoy,” said Christopher Rogers, Managing Director of Costa.
“Many congratulations to all of this year’s category Award-winning authors. Selecting just one of these terrific titles for the Costa Book of the Year will be a tough task but it will certainly make for an exciting awards ceremony later this month.”
The five Costa Book Award winners, each of whom will receive £5,000, were selected from 617 entries and the books are now eligible for the ultimate prize – the 2013 Costa Book of the Year.
The winner, selected by a panel of judges chaired by Rose Tremain CBE, and comprising authors and category judges John Burnside, Matt Cain, Anne de Courcy, Emma Kennedy and Gerard Woodward joined by Natascha McElhone, Richard Osman and Sharleen Spiteri will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by presenter and broadcaster Penny Smith at Quaglino’s in central London on Tuesday 28th January 2014.
Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won eleven times by a novel, four times by a first novel, five times by a biography, seven times by a collection of poetry and once by a children’s book. The 2012 Costa Book of the Year was Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel.
The winner of the Costa Short Story Award – voted for by the general public and now in its second year – will also be announced at the awards ceremony. Voting is open until Friday 17th January until which time the identity of the authors remains anonymous.
For additional information go to www.costa.co.uk/costa-book-awards
