The Rathbones Folio Prize

[Paul]

Agreed. Though an overlooked book award is probably a better idea that say what the Dublin Literary Award can end up with which is a best of other awards award.

[Phyllis]

Paul wrote: "Agreed. Though an overlooked book award is probably a better idea that say what the Dublin Literary Award can end up with which is a best of other awards award."
I think I have always forgiven the Dublin because it was awarding translations to English so long before anyone else (excepting the NBA, but that was only for US pubs).

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Of course Lost Children Archive perfectly encapsulated this.

It won the 2020 Folio after being surprisingly eliminated at longlisted stage for both 2019 Booker and 2019 Women’s Prize - so classic overlooked book award.

And then in 2021 it won the Dublin Literary Award beating on the shortlist among others the 2019 Booker winner, 2020 Pulitzer Prize and books that won literary prizes for translated fiction - one in Germany and one in France. So classic Best of Prize winners winner.

[David]

Lark made a great comment on another thread that being recognized by a prize with a defined focus (such as the Barbellion Prize) is in some ways more meaningful than being longlisted for a catch-all fiction award. I think there's always room for another prize in the landscape, but perhaps some are more redundant than others.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I will read the full Fiction shortlist

Scary Monsters / 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lucy By The Sea
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Glory – 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Emergency - 4*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Pure Colour – 2*
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Scary Monster is blurbed by Ali Smith and borrows the structure of How To Be Both

[Paul]

May be the hot tip to win then - as last year the winning book was a judge's favourite - see https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[WndyJW]

I have Scary Monsters on audio, but either the narrator sounds bored with the story or the story just doesn’t work for me on audio, because I could not pay attention. I wonder if a print version would work better for me. It sounds like an interesting book.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I rather enjoyed Scary Monsters - the links between the two parts are clever I thought.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Would be my preferred winner having finished the shortlist

[Hugh, Active moderator]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I rather enjoyed Scary Monsters - the links between the two parts are clever I thought.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Would be my preferred winner having finished the shortlist"
I rather liked it too, and I also chose to read the past section first. Would be interesting to hear from anyone who started with the future story. I bought my copy in the Waterstones post-Christmas sale, and the barcode on the spine took a bit of finding for the shop staff! I guess they put it there because it was the only visible place not on one of the front covers.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Scary Monsters wins the fiction section - the non fiction winner won overall.

[David]

Bob has a good video from a few days ago, reviewing the fiction shortlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE45x...

This was released before the winner was announced, but still an insightful take on what the judges were looking for.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Yet another variation for this prize

“Now, in its tenth year, the Rathbones Folio Prize is to be relaunched as The Writers’ Prize, with three 2024 shortlists announced on January 9th and category and overall winners announced in March.
A seven-year partnership with Rathbones Investment Management came to an end in 2023, but thanks to the generosity of a number of private individuals, book industry-related businesses, members of the Folio Academy and Trusts, the prize will go ahead with the same prize pot of £36,000 (£30,000 for the overall Book of the Year and £2,000 for category winners in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry).
In a new development, the prize will be run without judges this year, and instead the 350+ members of the Folio Academy will determine the shortlists and the winners. A call for nominations is out now, and three shortlists of three titles each will be announced on January 9th. Academy members will then be able to read the shortlisted titles, thanks to a partnership with NetGalley, before casting their final votes for category winners and overall ‘Writers’ Prize Book of the Year’.
The Writers’ Prize is open to all works of literature, regardless of form, published in the English language in the UK in 2023”

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

So much more so than even before this is effectively a compilation of those features where author’s nominate their books of the year and books they feel overlooked.

Bee Sting perhaps?

[Paul]

Well it’s different. And a more sensible use of the academy. Love the Netgalley link as well - but then why not open it to the public that way?

It does seem the most chaotic prize ever - although that’s a generous prize pot, wonder who their donors are.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

The Novel shortlist

The Fraud
The Bee Sting
The Wren The Wren

[Hugh, Active moderator]

Rather a dull safe selection

[Sam]

I like the match up of Fraud against Bee Sting. Popular vs Pedantic, or pick your own adjectives.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I agree with Hugh but I think that’s the nature of this prize now

[David]

Sam wrote: "I like the match up of Fraud against Bee Sting. Popular vs Pedantic, or pick your own adjectives."

Which is which?

[Sam]

David wrote: "Sam wrote: "I like the match up of Fraud against Bee Sting. Popular vs Pedantic, or pick your own adjectives."

Which is which?"

David is in bright humor this morning!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I would have picked Preposterous for Bee Sting.

[Paul]

Agree that is a very boring list - sort of what’s the point.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Well it’s how the prize works really - get 250 writers to nominate books by voting (I think they used to get 3 votes - 3,2,1) and pick the top 3 books on votes you are going to get votes by well known authors relatively overlooked by other prizes.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

The Wren The Wren wins Fiction category.

Thunderclap (on the inaugural WP longlist) wins the Non Fiction Prize.

A poetry book - The Home Child won poetry category and the overall.

[Sam]

Zadie Smith is not getting much love from prize judges. With another 25% to go in The Wren The Wren, I would say it is the better reading novel, but The Fraud is bolder, more experimental, more complex, and more demanding. I appreciated Zadie Smith's effort more is what I am saying. I hope she gets some recognition this year.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

What prizes are left? Only really Walter Scott.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Anyone heard any news on this prize which is effectively the last one of 2024 left - I wondered if it’s died yet again.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I have just heard from The Writers Prize that sadly due to a lack of sponsorship the prize is now on hold again and won’t be running this year.

[Mohamed]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I have just heard from The Writers Prize that sadly due to a lack of sponsorship the prize is now on hold again and won’t be running this year."

Such sad news to hear!

[Paul]

Has there been a more shambolic and pointless literary prize?

Well pointless in terms of awarding it, whereas the idea had merit.

They would have been better never actually running it since the very threat of its existence achieved its objective and led the Booker to change the rules.