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The €100,000 International Dublin IMPAC award has gone to Kevin Barry for his "vivid" and “atmospheric” novel City of Bohane (Jonathan Cape).
The winning title is Barry’s debut, although he has previously published short story collections.
Presenting the prize at Dublin’s Mansion House last night (6th June), the Lord Mayor of Dublin and patron of the award, Naoise Ó Muirí, said: “I’m thrilled to see an Irish author of such immense talent take home this year’s award. City of Bohane is a vivid, atmospheric portrayal of a city in the West of Ireland set in the future but mired in the past. The highly original cast of characters are at once flamboyant and malevolent, speaking in a vernacular like no other.”
Barry’s work was chosen as the winner by an international panel of judges included novels from France, Iceland, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA, from a shortlist of 10. He is the third Irish author to win the prize. He said: “The fact that this award originates with the libraries is what makes it very special for me – libraries are where we learn that we can live our lives through books.”
The Award is organised by Dublin City Libraries, on behalf of Dublin City Council and sponsored by IMPAC, an international management productivity company.