To
write a book and actually finish it is already a gargantuan feat. But for a
book to win a prestigious award is something else! It will immediately push the
work to a different class and send the author to the moon!
There’s
no better way to gain positive noise for your work than to actually win a
prestigious award given by a sophisticated and credible body of literary
critics, publishers and readers. There’s no other better way to say: “This
book is the best this year. We know what we’re talking about, so read it.” Profitability
wise, awards are good marketing, it pushes the book at the forefronts of the
bookstore displays and you can actually brag about it in the cover page: “Winner of the Booker prize and so and so”
The consumer will already feel encouraged and smart about purchasing a copy.
It’s also good for the author. Like winners in Oscars, it pushes the author to
the A-List crowd. Essentially, writers
don’t really need awards to measure their success and value, for me any writer
is already an artistic genius, but I must admit that to be recognized by the
art itself must really mean a huge boost of confidence and renowned self-worth.
Super big wild cherry on the cake!
I’ve
randomly seen books with acclaimed notations of being shortlisted or even long
listed for these awards. I’ve read tons of books that are award worthy and I
just finished Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit
451, which is a National Book Prize winner. Now I’m starting with Arundhati Roy’s Man Booker Prize winner, The
God of Small Things. There are so many awards and most of them are
familiar, but aren’t you curious what those awards stand for? Why they won it?
And what type of award giving body bestowed it? Last year, Eleanor Catton’s Luminaries gained much noise as she bested works
and nabbed the Booker Prize Award at the age of 28 yrs. Old! But what is a
Booker Prize award anyway?
Next
time you shop for a book and you see a distinction of being “short listed” even “long listed” or the winner
of these popular literary awards, it’s always worth it to stop and look. And if
you’re planning to buy the book anyways and it happens to win something, well
at least you’re making a good choice right there.
Below
is the list of most popular literary awards you might already be familiar with:
MAJOR AWARDS, Open to all nationalities,
most popular:
1.
Nobel
Prize in Literature
a. Since
1901
b. Award
to an author annually from any country
c. The
Swedish Academy decides who will receive the prize each year sometime in
October. They decide on the most
outstanding work of the author ‘as a whole’ (all samples of the author). This
echoes author’s outstanding contribution to literature.
d. The
nominations are from members of the academy, members of any literary academy,
professors of literature and language, former Nobel laureates and presidents of
writer’s organizations. Thousands are received each year and it will be long
and short listed to 5. Prize averages around 1Million USD with diploma,
citation and eternal bragging rights.
e. Winners:
Alice Munro (2013), Doris Lessing (2007), Orhan Pamuk (2006), Jose Saramago
(1998), Toni Morrison (1993) Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1982)
2.
Man
Booker Prize International Awards
a. Since
June 2004
b. Award
given to any work published in English or generally available English
translation. Award is given only every 2 years.
c. The
Award is sponsored by the MAN Group and rewards one’s authors continued
“creativity, development and overall contribution to fiction in the world
stage” Like Nobel, this award is given to the author’s BODY OF WORK rather than
to one title.
d. Unlike
Noble, the judges of the year make up their own lists and no submissions are
entertained.
e. Winners:
Alice Munro (2009), Philip Roth (2011), Chinua Achebe (2007)
3.
Franz
Kafka Prize Award
a. Since
2001
b. Literary
Award in honor of Franz Kafka, the German Language novelist.
c. The
award giving body is led by the Franz Kafka Society by having a “"humanistic character and
contribution to cultural, national, language and religious tolerance, its
existential, timeless character, its generally human validity and its ability
to hand over a testimony about our times."
d. Recipients receives 10,000 USD, diploma
and bronze statuette
4.
America
Award
a. Since
1994
b. Provides
the modest alternative to Nobel
c. Award
giving body comprise of 6-8 American literature artists (novelists, poets,
playwrights and critics).
d. Award
does not entail prize money
e.
Winners: Jose Saramago, Harold Pinter, Ko Un
Other
more popular awards
1.
Pulitzer
Prize
a. Since
1917
b. Award
for achievements in newspaper, journalism, literary and musical composition.
Literature solely for American writers specializing in Fiction, Drama, history,
biography specifically connected to USA.
c. Administered
by Columbia University in New York. It was established by provisions in the
will of Joseph Pulitzer American, Hungarian born publisher.
d. In
20 categories, each winner will receive 10,000 USD
2.
National
Book Award
a. Since
1936 solely an annual US Literary Award.
b. This
is to celebrate the best in American literature divided into sub categories (Fiction,
non-fiction)
c. Administered
first by American Bookseller’s Association. Award is given to 1 book in 4
categories (fiction, non fiction, poetry, young people’s literature)
d. Publishers
nominate books but panelists may request particular nominations from
publishers. Panel includes 5 writers who are remarkably known in their field.
e. Finalists
get 1000 USD, medal and citation. Winner gets 10,000 and a bronze sculpture
3.
National
Book Critics Circle Award
a. Since
1976
b. Annual
American Literary Awards to promote the finest books and reviews published in
English.
c. National
Book Critics Circle administer these awards, which are divided into sub
categories (Fiction, Non Fiction, Biography, Memoir and Criticism)
d. Judges
are volunteer Directors of the organization and elected judges by voting
members (professional book review editors, book reviewers)
4.
Nebula
Award for Science Fiction
a. Since
1966
b. Annually
recognizes the best works in Fantasy and Science Fiction published in the US
c. It
is awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a non profit
organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. This is
science fiction’s most prestigious awards together with the HUGO award.
d. This
is subdivided in different categories (Script, novel, novella, short story,
Novellette)
e. Nominees
and winners are chosen by the SFWA
5.
Booker
Prize or Man Booker Prize for Fiction
a. Since
1968 originally sponsored by the company Booker-McConnell. Literary prize
awarded each year for a full-length novel written in English by a citizen of
the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland and New Zealand. Beginning in 2014, they
will entertain works from all over the world as long as their work is in
English and published in the UK.
b. Booker
Prize Association administers the award since 2002 and the primary sponsor is
the investment company called Man Group.
c. Award
is at 50,000 pounds, which makes it one of the world’s richest literary prizes.
d.
Award commences upon forming an advisory
committee (writer, 2 publishers, literary agent, bookseller, librarian and
chairperson of Booker Prize association). They are tasked to select judges, all
of whom are leading literary critics, writers and public figures.
So
clearly there are various internationally recognized awards that celebrate
greatness in the field of literature. The awards provided in the above list are
just a few more popular ones. Thank God for these literary critics and sponsors
who continuously recognize a reputable work, one of the oldest sources of
intelligent entertainment known to mankind. Regardless of the type of
literature awards, which we now have a background of, you’ll know the next time
you’re thinking of buying this recognized book, there’s definitely some sort of
credibility and worthiness in those pages.
But
then again, it’s true that not all award-winning literature speaks to us as
much as it touched these critics. Books in a way could be subjective considering
the timing it was read and the personal taste of the reader. But nevertheless,
even for books that I do not understand or I think that’s completely beyond my
taste, I respect them all for what they are. I still silently congratulate the
authors for achieving something that actually transcends time and space. They
have, in my eyes, become the perfect case of immortality. With awards or not,
best sellers or not, writing a book is not a walk in the park, finishing a book
in itself already deserves an amount of applause and recognition. The awards are
as they say just the icing to the author’s cake.
