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Gunn wins Scottish award

20.08.07 Tom Tivnan

Kirsty Gunn has been named the inaugural winner of the Sundial Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year for her novella The Boy and The Sea (Faber).

Gunn, a native New Zealander who teaches creative writing at Dundee University, was awarded the £25,000 prize at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Saturday night.

Gunn said she was “completely overwhelmed” with the award. She added: “I’m grateful to the panel for embracing my short novella it that is in so many ways such an unconventional piece of literary fiction.”

The Scottish Arts Council and BAA announced they are going to give away 1,000 free copies of Gunn’s book to travelers leaving Edinburgh Airport during the course of the festival.

The other books short-listed for the award were Robin Robertson’s poetry collection Swithering, John Burnside’s memoir A Lie About My Father and Maggie Fergusson’s biography George Mackay Brown: The Life. Each short-listed contender received a prize of £5,000 and read an extract from their work at the ceremony.

William Gray Muir, managing director of sponsor Sundial Properties said: "The Boy And The Sea is a truly remarkable book, with its poignant story drifting effortlessly between poetry and prose. The original aim of this book of the year award was to recognise works of the highest quality across the full range of contemporary literature. It is truly gratifying to have such a worthy winner in the first year of the prize."

tom tivnan

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