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The 2013 Winners are In!



Daunt Books Children's Short Story Competition 2013

Northern Europe

• Scandinavia
• Great Britain
• Ireland

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  The Gathering by Anne Enright

  Price: £7.99    Add to Basket

  A Booker winner which tells the story of a family brought together for a funeral. Unravelling the story piece by piece, the sister of the dead man remembers her brother, their childhood together and their loving but dysfunctional family. There is also a growing sense of guilt and responsibility that haunts her apparently stable life and marriage. A consuming, beautifully-written novel which may prove a bit depressing for some readers.

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  Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

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  Based in a Victorian mental asylum, the chapters of this rich, alluring novel alternate between a doctor trying to uncover the secrets of his oldest inmate Roseanne and Roseanne’s own troubled memories. It is about truth, what you chose to remember and what you don’t, a history of Ireland over the past century and about a woman’s devastated life.

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  Ireland by Blue Guide

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  Far and away the best historical and cultural guide to Ireland.

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  Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

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  A simply wonderful prizewinning novel. Trond is living out his old age in a remote part of Norway when a chance encounter transports him back to the life-changing summer of 1948. Luminous in both style and evocation, we cannot recommend this highly enough.

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  Roseanna by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahlog

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  The first in this excellent series written by Swedish husband and wife team. Absolutely classic police fiction which will have you racing through the next nine books.

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  Independent People by Halldor Laxness

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  Truly one of the finest novels we have ever read, 'Independent People' justly earned Laxness the Nobel Prize. It tells of Bjartur, a stubborn sheepfarmer in the remote Icelandic north, determined to maintain his independence at any cost. Combining fierce social critique with lyrical pastoralism and a deeply moving family drama, this wonderful book cannot be recommended strongly enough.

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  The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

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  A truly wonderful book. A joyful, eccentric account of one man's year of escapism caring for a wounded hare. A Finnish classic from the golden era of Peter Owen publishing.

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  Waterlog by Roger Deakin

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  A rare, mesmerising book about Roger Deakin's determination to swim the British Isles. Part cultural and natural history, part memoir and part travelogue, accompanied by enchanting hand drawn illustrations by David Holmes. An absolute favourite at Daunt.

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  Journey through a Small Planet by Emanuel Litvinoff

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  A fantastically evocative memoir of Emanuel Litvinoff's childhood in the Yiddish quarter of London's East End during the 1920s. Highly recommended.

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  London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

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  A rich, whirling history of London written by the biographer Peter Ackroyd. Arranged thematically rather than chronologically, it includes chapters such as drinking, sex, poverty and crime and punishment, making it the perfect informative bedside book.

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  Akenfield by Ronald Blythe

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  Ronald Blythe explores the changing nature of the rural idyll through conversations with the schoolteacher, the blacksmith, the farmers and others, living in a small Sussex village in the 1970s. Wonderfully funny and moving stories of human hardship and joy, and a fascinating history of the English countryside during the 20th century.

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  George Mackay Brown: The Life by Maggie Fergusson

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  A deeply insightful, exquisitely written biography which captures the essence of this masterful poet and storyteller and his life on the Orkneys. Absolutely vital reading for anyone interested in the man or the region.

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  The Man Who Went into the West by Byron Rogers

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  A wildly funny book by a unique writer. Rogers wrestles the enormously complex and contradictory character of R. S. Thomas to the page, by no means an easy task. He has a healthy critical approach to the verse and to Thomas' legendary grumpiness. Brilliant about the vocation of poetry, Welshness, Englishness and what it means to write a biography.

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  Amongst Women by John McGahern

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  A favourite here at Daunt and shortlisted for the Booker prize, Amongst Women tells the story of Michael Moran, a belligerent, idealistic IRA veteran. The story focuses on flashbacks to Michael's past, his current tyrannical relationship with his family and their inability to communicate with one another. Tense, restrained, and remarkably sensitive in its portrayal of the main character.