04 October 2017
|
Cynan Jones by Bernadine Jones
The Welsh writer's story The Edge of the Shoal was described as 'genuinely thrilling'
The Welsh writer's story The Edge of the Shoal was described as 'genuinely thrilling'
Cynan was presented with the £15,000 award at a ceremony at BBC Radio Theatre that was broadcast live on BBC Front Row last night.
Cynan Jones, author of widely accclaimed short novel The Dig, is an award-winning novelist, short story writer and scriptwriter.
BBC Radio 4 books editor and longstanding judge of the Award DI Spiers commented: ‘In a year which has seen such accomplished novelists shortlisted for their compelling and memorable stories, the searing immediacy of Cynan Jones’ story stands out. The Edge of the Shoal is a perfect illustration of the transporting, utterly absorbing power of a great short story.’
The other shortlisted writers, including three of Granta's '20 under 40', were Will Eaves, Jenni Fagan, Benjamin Markovits and Helen Oyeyemi. Each shortlisted writer got £600.
Listen to the winning and shortlisted stories on Radio 4's new short story podcast, or read them in the BBC National Short Story Award 2017 anthology, introduced by chair of judges Joanna Trollope and published by Comma Press.
• At the same ceremony, 17 yea rold Elizabeth Ryder was awarded the BBC Young Writers's Award for The Roses, a short story described by Nikesh Shukla, who was one of the judges, as 'incredibly impressive'.
For all the latest publishing news, subscribe to Writing Magazine or download our app
Register and sign up for our newsletter for late-breaking news, more competitions and exclusive content