Bookend
Bookbuyer
'143. the second year!"rUiniing a good ó5s-section of literary' London — authors "and literary editors dc4ii 'to the merest • gossip columnist — turned up for the Innch at which Whitbread 'announced their literary awards for 1912. Three very 'generous sums of ci,ocip were presented, to Rumer Godden for a"Children's book The Diddahoi (Macmillan £1.75), to Susan for her novel The Bird of Night Hamish Hamilton £1.95), and to James 1:iOpe Hennessy for his biography of Anthony Trollope (Cape £5). The judges — 'Kingsley Amis, Antohlli Fraser and George Malcolm ThoinS4 stood up One, 'by one and said how "impressed they hid: been by the standard Of the entries and how difficult it haeheen to make a choice, until, of course, this book had Cbtrie 'along of such overwhelming rightdg ' and award-worthiness that further boting altercation, could, gratefully be Avoided.' The three Winners'also stood uP, .cinP b .o'r!b;'' and expressed :their delight, gr'âtitüd thid general affection towards the 'Cdhip:ariypresent — an affection which the cOntany returned in proportion to the 'brevity of their speeches.
We then dispersed, warmed by the assurance that good literature was flourishing, or, possibly, warmed by the brandy. Industrial patronage of this magnitude is rare enough in the writing world. But in such an atmosphere of consensus it is agreeable to report that the judges at any rate were uncomplacent enough to disagree. The award for the novel, in which Edna O'Brien was mentioned as well as Susan Hill, caused some controversy and the final choice was welcomed with less ,iiAlMitnous acclaim than the other two. '
It seems that the unfor tgnate Spectator reviewer who has ,titiettl tunable, as Bookbuyer noted last week, to have her last two review S published as a result of injunctions and lawsuits, may have another couple of months to wait before her review of John Pearson's book The profession of Violence can see the light Of, day). Charges filed against a gentleman not wholly unconnected with the Kray twins may have something to do with this: especially since two of the four charges have not yet been heard in Court, and the' mills of British justice grind on in disregard of publishing schedules.
Previous page
