Awards Roundup
The Irish publishing sector is no stranger to awards with many of our own members making waves in their respective fields. Here is just a short round-up of recent accolades for our members – We would like to congratulate Futa Futa and 21st Century Renaissance.
21st Century Renaissance
Now in its tenth year, 21st Century Renaissance has been accredited by EU Business News as Dublin’s Best Independent History Publishing Company in their Irish Enterprise Awards for 2022. Founded by Alison Hackett in 2012, its first landmark publication, The Visual Time Traveller, became an art book, a talk and an exhibition that reinvented ways of engaging with history through its carefully curated selections of facts presented literally and visually in five-year time jumps. The publishing house places the highest value on the imagination and skills of its Irish-based writers, illustrators and designers and maintains a focus on producing high-quality print publications. Editing, design, print and binding are completed in Ireland whenever possible. In 2016, The Visual Time Traveller was selected by an international jury from a competitive field to be part of the Global Irish Design Challenge exhibitions organised by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. Twenty-First Century Renaissance will be exhibiting (along with other Irish publishers) at the Irish stand at the London Book Fair from 5-7 April.
FUTA FATA
The shortlist for the KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards was announced in Belfast on Wednesday 9 March 2022.
We were thrilled that Futa Fata with Cluasa Capaill ar an Rí is galloping along again with the best of them! Written by Bridget Bhreathnach and illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald, Cluasa Capaill ar an Rí is an age-old story from the depths of our folklore history, told with a modern twist. The author, while staying true to the tale we all know and love, focused the story on the personal journey of a young man who is a bit different. We witness the pressure he feels to hide his difference from the world, and the courage he has to find within himself to come out with the truth. Macdonald’s stunning illustrations add so many poetic layers and so much depth to the story.
Cluasa Capaill ar an Rí won the Réics Carló 2021 award for best young person’s book in Irish. As a result of that win, a special edition of the book was produced for World Book Day 2022. Other nominees on the day were Shadows of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny, Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth, Gut Feelings by C.G. Moore & Becky Chilcott, The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar, The Summer I Robbed a Bank by David O’Doherty & Chris Judge, Frindleswylde by Natalia O’Hara & Lauren O’Hara, Maybe… by Chris Houghton, Rescuing the Titanic: A True Story of Quiet Bravery in the North Atlantic by Flora Delargy agus There’s a Ghost in this House by Oliver Jeffers!
Publishing Ireland would like to warmly congratulate all the amazing book creators! We are looking forward to the announcement of the winners in Smock Alley on 24 May 2022.
HAMNET – MAGGIE O’FARRELL
2022 Ireland Francophonie Ambassadors’ Literary Award
Maggie O’Farrell wins the 2022 Ireland Francophonie Ambassadors’ Literary Award for Hamnet. French translator, Sarah Tardy, was awarded a Literature Ireland residency.
Literature Ireland, in partnership with the Ambassadeurs de la Francophonie, was pleased to celebrate the award at the Belgian Ambassador’s Residence in Dublin. The Prix des Ambassadeurs de la Francophonie 2022 was presented to Maggie O’Farrell for the French edition of her book Hamnet. Published by Éditions Belfond and translated into French by Sarah Tardy, Hamnet was chosen for its beautiful writing and compelling story, which resonated strongly with the prize jury. As part of the prize, Literature Ireland will host Sarah Tardy for a two-week residency in Ireland. The prize is a joint award, with a cash prize awarded to the author, Maggie O’Farrell, and a residential bursary for the translator, Sarah Tardy. Literature Ireland has supported many editions of Hamnet, from the French translation to editions in Finnish, Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish, Estonian, Swedish, and Bulgarian. As a partner in the prize, Literature Ireland is proud to have supported this French translation in particular. Speaking at the prize ceremony, the director of Literature Ireland, Sinéad Mac Aodha, said: “Hamnet is an exceptional book — a daring, delicate and evocative account of marriage, motherhood and grief set in Shakespeare’s family home place at the end of the 16th century. The world Maggie O’Farrell imagines for Hamnet and those around him is a compelling and immersive experience. Literature Ireland also congratulates the publisher Camille Dumat and translator Sarah Tardy who have so expertly brought this book to a French readership. Hamnet richly deserves this prize.” As she made the presentation to Maggie O’Farrell, Belgian Ambassador to Ireland, Karen Van Vlierberge, said: “It is my great pleasure on behalf of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie to present you with this award. I know I speak for all of the Ambassadors when I say how much we enjoyed the great impact your powerful and beautiful words had on us as readers. We were transported and mesmerised by the universe you invented for Shakespeare’s son Hamnet and for those who mourned him. We look forward to welcoming you and your translator Sarah Tardy to Dublin at some future date!”
Note:
Created in 2016 by the 26 embassies of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) represented in Ireland, the Prix Littéraire des Ambassadeurs de la Francophonie en Irlande – Ireland Francophonie Ambassadors’ Literary Award – aims to highlight the role of literary French in transmitting the values of La Francophonie.
