News Archive

Deborah Kay Davies wins
Wales Book of the Year 2009

Deborah Kay Davies has won the Wales Book of the Year 2009 for her debut collection of short stories Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful published by Parthian.

The announcement was made on Monday 15 June, at an award ceremony at The St David’s Hotel and Spa, introduced by BBC Political Editor, Betsan Powys and poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Deborah Kay Davies received the £10,000 prize from judge Mike Parker.

Set in the eastern valleys of South Wales from 1970 to the present, Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful tells the story of two sisters, Grace and Tamar, their volatile childhood, disruptive coming of age and dubious maturity. By turns moving, hilarious and terrifying and often all three at once, it is an unusual collection in that each story is complete in its own right, but also forms part of a continuous and powerful sequence. Part fantasy, part social history, these are dark, universal tales about how utterly strange it is to learn to be human. Click here to read an extract.

The two runners-up were each awarded £1,000: Gee Williams for Blood etc. (Parthian) and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch for Not in these Shoes (Picador). 

The judges for the 2009 English-language Award are poet, critic and lecturer at Aberystwyth University, Tiffany Atkinson; poet, essayist and former editor of Planet, John Barnie and broadcaster and travel writer Mike Parker (Chair).

The winner of the Welsh-language award, who also received a £10,000 prize, was William Owen Roberts for his book Petrograd (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas).

The Welsh-language judges are Luned Emyr, Derec Llwyd Morgan and Gwyn Thomas.

The Media Wales People’s Choice Award which was introduced this year and is voted for by the public went to Stephen May for TAG published by Cinnamon Press. The Welsh language prize sponsored by ITV Cymru went to Wiliam Owen Roberts for Petrograd published by Cyhoeddiadau Barddas. Hannah Jones from Media Wales presented the English-language award and Mari Grug from ITV Cymru presented the Welsh-language prize.

The Wales Book of the Year is administered by Academi and funded by the Arts Council of Wales through its income from the Welsh Assembly Government.