1964 Jean-Paul Sartre (declined award)
1965 Michail Sholokhov
1966 Shmuel Yosef Agnon; Nelly Sachs
1967 Miguel Angel Asturias
1968 Kawabata Yasunari
1969 Samuel Beckett
1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
1971 Pablo Neruda
1972 Heinrich Boll
1973 Patrick White
1974 Eyvind Johnson; Harry Martinson
1975 Eugenio Montale
1976 Saul Bellow
1977 Vicente Aleixandre
1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer
1979 Odysseus Elytis (pseudonym of Odysseus Alepoudhelis)
1980 Czeslaw Milosz
1981 Elias Canetti
1982 Gabriel García Márquez
1983 Sir William Golding
1984 Jaroslav Siefert
1985 Claude Simon
1986 Wole Soyinka
1987 Joseph Brodsky
1988 Naguib Mahfouz
1989 Camilo José Cela
1990 Octavio Paz
1991 Nadine Gordimer
1992 Derek Walcott
1993 Toni Morrison
1994 Kenzaburo Oë
1995 Seamus Heaney
1996 Wislawa Szymborska
1997 Dario Fo
1998 José Saramago
1999 Günter Grass
2000 Gao Xingjian
2001 V. S. Naipaul
2002 Imre Ketersz
2003 J. M. Coetzee
2004 Elfriede Jelinek
2005 Harold Pinter
2006 Orhan Pamuk
2007 Doris Lessing
2008 Jean-Marie Gustavo Le Clezio
2009 Herta Muller
2010 Mario Vargas Llosa
PRIX FEMINA ÉTRANGER
French literary prize awarded by an all-women jury of twelve, to novels written in a .foreign language. No restrictions on nationality. Books can be translations from any language.
1985 Life and Times of Michael K J. M. Coetzee
1986 Bathsheba Torgny Lindgren
1987 Monkeys Susan Minot
1988 The Black Box Amos Oz
1989 The Truth about Lorin Jones Alison Lurie
1990 The Lost Morning Vergilio Ferreira
1991 The Great World David Malouf
1992 Talking it Over Julian Barnes
1993 A Child in Time Ian McEwan
1994 Restoration Rose Tremain
1995 Decanted Red Jeroen Brouwers
1996 Tomorrow in the Battle, Think on Me Javier Marias
1997 The Fallen City Jia Pingwa
1998 Full Moon Antonio Munoz Molina
1999 The White Buddha Hitonari Tsuji
2000 My Brother Jamaica Kincaid
2001 The Long Falling Keith Ridgway
2002 God’s Mountain Erri De Luca
2003 The Door Magda Szabo
2004 The Speckled People Hugo Hamilton
2005 The Falls Joyce Carol Oates
2006 The Story of Chicago May Nuala O’Faolain
2007 Mother’s Milk Edward St. Aubyn
2008 Calm Chaos Sandro Veronesi
2009 Maurice mit Huhn Matthias Zschokke
2010 Puhdistus Sofi Oksanen
PRIX MÉDICIS ÉTRANGER
French literary prize awarded by a jury of twelve to novels written in a foreign language. No restrictions on nationality. Books can be translations from any language.
1970 Jump of Death Luigi Malherba
1971 Deliverance James Dickey
1972 Cobra Severo Sarduy
1973 Life is Elsewhere Milan Kundera
1974 Manuel’s Book Julio Cortazar
1975 The Too Brief Life of Edwin Mulhouse Steven Millhauser
1976 No award
1977 The Treatise of Seasons Hector Biancotti
1979 The Harp and the Shadow Alejo Carpentier
1980 A Dry White Season André Brink
1981 The Day of the Countess David Shahar
1982 The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco
1983 The Blue Road Kenneth White
1984 Aracoeli Elsa Morante
1985 God Knows Joseph Heller
1986 Adventures of the Fur Trade in Alaska John Hawkes
1987 Indian Nocturne Antonio Tabucchi
1988 Ancient Masters Thomas Bernhard
1989 The Admiral’s Snow Alvaro Mutis
1990 The Shadow Lines Amitav Ghosh
1991 The Story that was Happy then Painful then Funereal Pietro Citati
1992 Wartime Lies Louis Begley
1993 Leviathan Paul Auster
1994 Brother Sleep Robert Schneider
1995 The Castles of Anger Alessandro Baricco
1996 Himmelfarb Michael Kruger
Sonietchka Ludmila Oulitskaia
1997 The Tortilla Curtain T. C. Boyle
1998 The House of Sleep Jonathan Coe
1999 The Captain of his Dreams Bjorn Larsson
2000 Anil’s Ghost Michael Ondaatje
2001 La Noce Du Poète Antonio Skarmeta
2002 The Human Stain Philip Roth
2003 Le Mal De Montano Enrique Vila-Matas
2004 Story of a Life Aharon Appelfeld
2005 Snow Orhan Pamuk
2006 Return of the Hooligan Norman Manea
2007 The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million Daniel Mendelsohn
2008 A Perfect Boy Alain Claude Sulzer
2009 What is the What Dave Eggers
2010 Sukkwan Island David Vann
PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
Author must be an American citizen. Books cannot be submitted for this, but are selected by a panel.
1950 The Way West A. B. Guthrie Jr.
1951 The Town Conrad Richter
1952 The Caine Mutiny Herman Wouk
1953 The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway
1954 No award
1955 A Fable William Faulkner
1956 Andersonville Mackinlay Kantor
1957 No award
1958 A Death in the Family James Agee (posthumous publication/award)
1959 The Travels of Jamie McPheeters Robert Lewis Taylor
1960 Advise and Consent Allen Drury
1961 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
1962 The Edge of Sadness Edwin O’Connor
1963 The Reivers William Faulkner
1964 No award
1965 The Keepers of the House Shirley Ann Grau
1966 Collected Stories Katherine Anne Porter
1967 The Fixer Bernard Malamud
1968 The Confessions of Nat Turner William Styron
1969 House Made of Dawn N. Scott Momaday
1970 Collected Stories Jean Stafford
1971 No award
1972 Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner
1973 The Optimist’s Daughter Eudora Welty
1974 No award
1975 The Killer Angels Michael Shaara
1976 Humboldt’s Gift Saul Bellow
1977 No award
1978 Elbow Room James Alan McPherson
1979 The Stories of John Cheever John Cheever
1980 The Executioner’s Song Norman Mailer
1981 A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole
1982 Rabbit is Rich John Updike
1983 The Color Purple Alice Walker
1984 Ironweed William Kennedy
1985 Foreign Affairs Alison Lurie
1986 Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry
1987 A Summons to Memphis Peter Taylor
1988 Beloved Toni Morrison
1989 Breathing Lessons Anne Tyler
1990 The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love Oscar Hijuelos
1991 Rabbit at Rest John Updike
1992 A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley
1993 A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain Robert Olen Butler
1994 The Shipping News E. Annie Proulx
1995 The Stone Diaries Carol Shields
1996 Independence Day
Richard Ford
1997 Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer Steven Millhauser
1998 American Pastoral Philip Roth
1999 The Hours Michael Cunningham
2000 Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
2001 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Michael Chabon
2002 Empire Falls Rick Russo
2003 Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides
2004 The Known World Edward P. Jones
2005 Gilead Marilynne Robinson
2006 March Geraldine Brooks
2007 The Road Cormac McCarthy
2008 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz
2009 Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout
2010 Tinkers Paul Harding
STAKIS PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH WRITER OF THE YEAR
Author must have been born in Scotland, have Scottish parents or have been resident in Scotland for a considerable period, or have taken Scotland as his or her inspiration. Entries in Scots, English and Gaelic are all eligible. Until 1997, named the McVities Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year.
1987 Nairn in Darkness and Light David Thomas
1988 The Great Profundo and Other Stories Bernard MacLaverty
Antarctica: Beyond the Frozen Sea Edwin Mickleburgh
1989 MacDiarmid Alan Bold
1990 From Wood to Ridge Sorley Maclean
1991 Brazzaville Beach William Boyd
1992 Scotland’s Music John Purser
1993 Landscapes and Memories John Prebble
1994 Foreign Parts Janice Galloway
1995 Something Very Like Murder Frank Kuppner
1996 Stone Garden and Other Stories Alan Spence
1997 Oideachadh Ceart agus dáin ede/A Proper Schooling Aonghas MacNeacail
1998 The Good Times James Kelman
Virtual and Other Realities Edwin Morgan
SALTIRE SOCIETY SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR
1996 The Kiln William McIlvanney
1997 Grace Notes Bernard MacLaverty
1998 The Sopranos Alan Warner
1999 Pursuits George Bruce
2000 The Lantern Bearers: A Novel Ronald Frame
2001 Medea Liz Lochhead
2002 Clara: A Novel Janice Galloway
2003 Joseph Knight James Robertson
2004 In Another Light Andrew Greig
2005 Case Histories Kate Atkinson
2006 A Lie About my Father John Burnside
2007 Day A. L. Kennedy
2008 Kieron Smith, boy James Kelman
2009 The Bard: Robert Burns, A Biography Robert Crawford
2010 And the Land Lay Still James Robertson
WHITBREAD NOVEL AWARD
The Whitbread Book Awards are made up of six awards: first novel, novel, biography, poetry and children’s. The winners of each adult category then go forward to the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. Author must have been resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland for three years. Since 2006 this award has been called the Costa Novel Award
1971 The Destiny Waltz Gerda Charles
1972 The Bird of the Night Susan Hill
1973 The Chip Chip Gatherers Shiva Naipaul
1974 The Sacred and Profane Love Machine Iris Murdoch
1975 Docherty William McIlvanney
1976 The Children of Dynmouth William Trevor
1977 Injury Time Beryl Bainbridge
1978 Picture Palace Paul Theroux
1979 The Old Jest Jennifer Johnston
1980 How Far Can You Go? David Lodge (and Book of the Year)
1981 Silver’s City Maurice Leitch
1982 Young Shoulders John Wain
1983 Fools of Fortune William Trevor
1984 Kruger’s Alp Christopher Hope
1985 Hawksmoor Peter Ackroyd
1986 An Artist of the Floating World Kazuo Ishiguro (and Book of the Year)
1987 The Child in Time Ian McEwan
1988 The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie
1989 The Chymical Wedding Lindsay Clarke
1990 Hopeful Monsters Nicholas Mosley (and Book of the Year)
1991 The Queen of the Tambourine Jane Gardam
1992 Poor Things Alasdair Gray
1993 Theory of War Joan Brady (and Book of the Year)
1994 Felicia’s Journey
William Trevor (and Book of the Year)
1995 The Moor’s Last Sigh Salman Rushdie
1996 Every Man for Himself Beryl Bainbridge
1997 Quarantine Jim Crace
1998 Leading the Cheers Justin Cartwright
1999 Music and Silence Rose Tremain
2000 English Passengers Matthew Kneale
2001 Twelve-Bar Blues Patrick Neate
2002 Spies Michael Frayn
2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon
2004 Small Island Andea Levy
2005 The Accidental Ali Smith
(Here renamed the Costa Novel Award)
2006 Restless William Boyd
2007 Day A. L. Kennedy
2008 The Secret Scripture Sebastian Barry
2009 Brooklyn Colm Tóibín
2010 The Hand That First Held Mine Maggie O’Farrell
WHITBREAD FIRST NOVEL AWARD
Author must have been resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland for three years. Renamed the Costa First Novel Award in 2006.
1981 A Good Man in Africa William Boyd
1982 On the Black Hill Bruce Chatwin
1983 Flying to Nowhere John Fuller
1984 A Parish of Rich Women James Buchan
1985 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson
1986 Continent Jim Crace
1987 The Other Garden Francis Wyndham
1988 The Comfort of Madness
Paul Sayer (and Book of the Year)
1989 Gerontius James Hamilton-Paterson
1990 The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi
1991 Alma Cogan (US: Alma: A Novel) Gordon Burn
1992 Swing Hammer Swing! Jeff Torrington (and Book of the Year)
1993 Saving Agnes Rachel Cusk
1994 The Longest Memory: A Novel Fred D’Aguiar
1995 Behind the Scenes at the Museum Kate Atkinson (and Book of the Year)
1996 The Debt to Pleasure John Lanchester
1997 The Ventriloquist’s Tale Pauline Melville
1998 The Last King of Scotland Giles Foden
1999 White City Blues Tim Lott
2000 White Teeth Zadie Smith
2001 Something Like a House Sid Smith
2002 The Song of Names Norman Lebrecht
2003 Vernon God Little D. B. C. Pierre
2004 Eve Green Susan Fletcher
2005 The Harmony Silk Factory Tash Aw
2006 The Tenderness of Wolves Stef Penney
2007 What Was Lost Catherine O’Flynn
2008 The Outcast Sadie Jones
2009 Beauty Raphael Selbourne
2010 Witness the Night Kishwar Desai
Acknowledgements
COLM TÓIBÍN
Aidan Dunne; Anne Enright; Mary Mount; Andrew O’Hagan; Jon Riley; The London Library; The Library of Trinity College, Dublin.
CARMEN CALLIL
All my friends helped me with this book, and I am grateful to them for their suggestions, advice, conversations and for listening to me. Special thanks to:
Tariq Ali; Hanan Al Shaykh; Christine Bell; Liz Calder; Lorraine Callil; Susannah Clapp; Frances Coady; John Cox; David Davidar, Penguin Books, India; Polly Devlin; Peter Eyre; Bob Gottlieb; Sandy Grant; Kate Griffin; Clare Harman; Philippa Harrison; John Hayes; Michael Healy, The Cornstalk Bookshop, Sydney, Australia; Michael Herr; Michael Holroyd; Helena Ivins; Pat Kavanagh; Helena Kennedy; Hermione Lee; Suzanne Lowry; Roger Mackell, Gleebooks, Sydney, Australia; Mary Mackintosh and all at the Elgin Bookshop, London W11; Anthony McConnell; Hilary McPhee; David Matthews; Sonny Mehta; Di Melly; Tom Melly; Caroline Michel; Ivan Nabokov; The North Kensington Library, London W11; Craig Raine; Ga
il Rebuck; Jon Riley; Ann Victoria Roberts; Deborah Rogers; John Ryle; Alison Samuel; Harriet Spicer; Jenny Uglow; Caroline Upcher; Marina Warner; Joshua White; Kitty Wishart, University Bookshop, Auckland, New Zealand; to my agent Gill Coleridge and Ursula Doyle of Picador; and in particular to Max Lowry, aged eighteen when I started this book, whose relish for rock music and bad videos prompted me to provide him and his generation with this pointer, to one of the oldest and best entertainments of all.
Index of Titles
The Adventures of Augie March 1
Age of Iron 1
Alias Grace 1
American Pastoral 1
American Psycho 1
Amongst Women 1
An Artist of the Floating World 1
Anecdotes of Destiny 1
Angel 1
Asylum 1
The Balkan Trilogy 1
The Ballad of the Sad Café 1
The Bell Jar 1
Beloved 1
A Bend in the River 1
Birdsong 1
Black List, Section H 1
Black Robe 1
Blood Meridian 1
The Blue Flower 1
The Bonfire of the Vanities 1
A Book of Common Prayer 1
The Book of Evidence 1
A Boy’s Own Story 1
Breathing Lessons 1
Burger’s Daughter 1
The Butcher Boy 1
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin 1
The Catcher in the Rye 1
Catch-22 1
The Cement Garden 1
Changing Places 1
The Children’s Bach 1
Cloudstreet 1
Cold Mountain 1
The Color Purple 1
A Confederacy of Dunces 1
The Confessions of Nat Turner 1
Cotter’s England 1