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O'Flynn a Costa winner

02.01.08 Anna Richardson

Tindal Street Press author Catherine O’Flynn has won the Costa First Novel Award 2007 for her début work, What Was Lost, with judges pronouncing it "a formidable novel blending humour and pathos".

Joining O’Flynn in contention for the overall Costa Book of the Year prize, which is announced on 22nd January, are Scottish novelist A L Kennedy, who won the novel category for her fifth novel, Day (Cape); Simon Sebag Montefiore, who took home the biography award for Young Stalin (Weidenfeld); Jean Sprackland, who won the poetry prize with Tilt (Cape); and Ann Kelley, winner of the children’s book award for The Bower Bird (Luath).

All finalists win £5,000, and the opening chapters of their titles feature in a book, The Finalists, which also includes the winning short story from a Costa-sponsored Woman & Home magazine competition. The £2 book goes on sale on Friday (4th January) in Costa outlets, and proceeds will support the Costa Foundation.

John Derkach, Costa m.d., said: “The Finalists not only celebrates our five 2007 category winning authors, but also offers Costa the chance to introduce great writing to wider audiences and whet our customers’ appetite for more enjoyable reading.”

Todays Picks Prize Costa Book of the Year Catherine O'Flynn What Was Lost

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