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WORD: Novelists Lively, Nicholson make 2009 Costa Book Awards shortlist
Edited Press Release

UK coffee shop chain Costa announced that Penelope Lively, Hilary Mantel, Christopher Nicholson and Colm Tóibin were among the novelists shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Book Awards. The annual award recognizes the most enjoyable books published in the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

Originally established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, Costa announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK's most prestigious book prize in 2006. In addition to best novel, other categories include awards for best first novel, poetry, biography, and children's author.

This year's Costa Book Awards attracted 592 entries -- the second highest-ever number of submissions in one year. Judges on this year’s panels (three per category) included actor and writer Neil Pearson; broadcaster and journalist Fiona Phillips; authors Sandra Howard and Sophie Hannah; writers William Nicholson and Ben Macintyre; and biographer and historian, Robert Lacey.

Winners in the five categories, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on Tuesday 5th January 2010. The overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2009 will receive £25,000 and will be selected and announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in central London on Tuesday 26th January 2010.

Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won nine times by a novel, four times by a first novel, five times by a biography, five times by a collection of poetry and once by a children's book. The 2008 Costa Book of the Year was won by Sebastian Barry for The Secret Scripture.

To be eligible for the 2009 Costa Book Awards, books must have been first published in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009.

2009 Costa Novel Award shortlist

Penelope Lively for Family Album (Fig Tree)
Hilary Mantel for Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate)
Christopher Nicholson for The Elephant Keeper (Fourth Estate)
Colm Tóib?n for Brooklyn (Viking)

2009 Costa First Novel Award shortlist

Rachel Heath for The Finest Type of English Womanhood (Hutchinson)
Peter Murphy for John the Revelator (Faber and Faber)
Raphael Selbourne for Beauty (Tindal Street Press)
Ali Shaw for The Girl with Glass Feet (Atlantic Books)

To see the full 2009 Costa Book Award shortlists in five categories and other information check out their website.

 

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