18/05/04 - Cumbria's libraries to feature in national fiction book award for women : Cumbria County Council

Three Cumbria County Council libraries are taking part in this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman.

Reading groups at Carlisle, Grange and Gosforth libraries are preparing reviews on the six books short-listed for this year’s award. And all visitors to Cumbria’s libraries are being given the chance to take part in the debate by preparing reviews for the books. Selected reviews will feature on the Orange Prize website.

The short listed authors are:

Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake, Bloomsbury

Shirley Hazzard, The Great Fire, Virago

Andrea Levy, Small Island, Review

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Purple Hibiscus, Fourth Estate

Gillian Slovo, Ice Road, Little, Brown

Rose Tremain, The Colour, Chatto and Windus

Councillor Tim Heslop, Cabinet Member with responsibility for libraries, said:

“Cumbria’s libraries are offering readers the chance to join in the discussion about the best women’s writing, celebrating both new and well-established authors. By entering their own reviews, readers also have the chance to win a mobile phone and copies of all six short listed books. Many of the reviews will be posted on the Orange website and will feature alongside celebrity reviews by people such as Clare Short and Paul Boateng.

“The Orange Prize for Fiction celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing and we are delighted to be one of the 100 UK library authorities taking part.”

Cumbria libraries’ participation in the award debate has been organised by The Reading Agency, a development agency working across the UK to open up new opportunities for readers by working with libraries and other partners.

Many of the County’s libraries have displays linked to the Orange fiction prize. Short listed titles may be borrowed from libraries and there is no charge to request titles not in stock.

The judges for the 2004 Orange Prize For Fiction are:

Sandi Toksvig, Broadcaster, comedian and author (Chair)

Karen Cunningham, Head of Libraries, Information and Learning,Glasgow City Council

Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC

Katharine Viner, Editor of Guardian Weekend

Minette Walters, Author

The Orange Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible and is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman.

The winner will be presented with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze statue known as ‘the Bessie’, created by artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed. The award ceremony will take place on 8thJune 2004 at Lincoln’s Inn Field, London.