Wales Book of the Year 2024 shortlists announced
Wales' national book award celebrates a year in publishing.
On Sunday the shortlists for the English and Welsh-language shortlists for the 2024 Wales Book of the Year was announced. The books are split into four categories - fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and children and young people - for both languages. From the winners of each of those categories an overall winner is selected. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Galeri in Caernarfon in July.
Here’s the shortlists.
English language
Poetry Award
I Think We’re Alone Now, Abigail Parry (Bloodaxe Books)
Cowboy, Kandace Siobhan Walker (Cheerio Publishing)
In Orbit, Glyn Edwards (Seren)
Creative Non-Fiction Award
Sarn Helen, Tom Bullough (Granta Publications)
Birdsplaining: A Natural History, Jasmine Donahaye (New Welsh Rarebyte)
Spring Rain, Marc Hamer (Harvill Secker)
The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award
Stray Dogs, Richard John Parfitt (Third Man Books)
The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone, Alex McCarthy (Doubleday)
Neon Roses, Rachel Dawson (John Murray)
The Bute Energy Children and Young People Award
Where the River Takes Us, Lesley Parr (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
Brilliant Black British History, Atinuke (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
Skrimsli, Nicola Davies (Firefly Press)
Welsh language
Poetry Award
Mae Bywyd Yma, Guto Dafydd (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)
Mymryn Rhyddid, Gruffudd Owen (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)
Y Traeth o Dan y Stryd, Hywel Griffiths (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)
Creative Non-Fiction
Cranogwen, Jane Aaron (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru)
Y Delyn Aur, Malachy Owain Edwards (Gwasg y Bwthyn)
Trothwy, Iwan Rhys (Y Lolfa)
Fiction Award
Anfadwaith, Llŷr Titus (Y Lolfa)
Sut i Ddofi Corryn, Mari George (Sebra)
Raffl, Aled Jones Williams (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)
The Bute Energy Children and Young People Award
Jac a’r Angel, Daf James (Y Lolfa)
Y Nendyrau, Seran Dolma (Gwasg y Bwthyn)
Astronot yn yr Atig, Megan Angharad Hunter (Y Lolfa)
I have my favourites, but I’m not going to go into them here - particularly as I haven’t read all the books. But congratulations to all the writers and their publishers.
A few side notes.
I can’t remember the last time so few Welsh publishers (in the English language categories) were shortlisted. Of twelve titles, three of them are published by a Welsh house (Firefly, Seren, and New Welsh Rarebyte). One of those three, the last in that short list) shut down this year due to the cancellation of funding of New Welsh Review (before being subsequently rescued by Parthian). Maybe this is a good sign that more Welsh writers are finding success outside of Wales. Maybe it is a sign that Welsh publishers have had a tough year.
Congratulations to Literature Wales on finding a sponsor for this year’s English language prizes - I know how difficult it is to secure such support, and the ongoing efforts to do so have been one of the toughest battles of the last decade and longer in sustaining the prize.
So it is disappointing to have to just casually point to an undeclared conflict of interest, in that Abigail Parry, whose latest marvellous poetry collection I Think We’re Alone Now was shortlisted for this year’s T.S. Eliot Prize and must surely be a hot favourite for WBOTY24, works for Cardiff University’s School of English, Communication and Philosophy (ENCAP), the sponsors of this year’s WBOTY.
Lastly, very happy to see that the People’s Choice Award has this year been taken on by Nation.Cymru. The prize is voted for across all categories by the public. Wales Arts Review sponsored it for the last seven or eight years, and with our closure, and the closure of the obvious places to run it in our stead (namely, Planet and New Welsh Review) I was worried Literature Wales would be unable to find a replacement.
The People’s Choice Award was always a great way to get some debate going and bring an extra little bit of fizz to the whole shebang. It was also always a great way for the public to add a “corrective” to oddball jury decisions - and what award ceremony in the world couldn’t do with one of those?
Gary Raymond is a novelist, author, playwright, critic, and broadcaster. In 2012, he co-founded Wales Arts Review, was its editor for ten years. His latest book, Abandon All Hope: A Personal Journey Through the History of Welsh Literature is available for pre-order and is out in May 2024 with Calon Books.