Announcing the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction 2016

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Here at Khoollect HQ we have been avidly making our way through the shortlist of books for the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction 2016. It is a superb selection and in light of the excellent standard of the competition, we couldn’t be more thrilled for Lisa McInerney’s win, especially as she does so with her gutsy and compelling debut novel The Glorious Heresies.

McInerney, described by head judge Margaret Mountford as ‘a fresh new voice and wonderful winner,’ and her novel as ‘superbly original’ and ‘compassionate,’ is not new to authorship. Although her skills have previously been enjoyed via her dry-witted blog about life on a Galway council estate and the occasional short story, this is her first full-length novel. Her brilliant skills of comedy and the aplomb with which she attacks her rather dark subject matter make this a bold and brilliant choice by the judging panel, who were ‘110% agreed’ on it.

What is the Bailey’s Prize?:

The Bailey’s Prize for Fiction is the most acclaimed UK book award for fiction written by a woman. It is truly international in scope and inclusive in ethos; essentially the key criteria for entry are that you are a woman and the book is full-length. Since it began in 1996 it has been celebrating annually the best female fiction writers throughout the world, and works tirelessly to celebrate female writers to the widest scope and number of readers possible. A number of previous winners have been debut authors and the prize is increasingly being seen as an opportunity to showcase new talent.

McInerney was one of six authors who made it to the shortlist this year:

It is a stellar selection and I will be reviewing our favourites from the list over the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled and if you haven’t yet done so, you can learn more about the prize here!

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Caroline Woodward-Court

Caroline is Khoollect's resident book reviewer. This lady has had her noses in books since she can r...

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