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WORD: Biographer Hilary Spurling wins 2005 Whitbread Book of the Year

Hilary Spurling won the 2005 Whitbread Book of the Year award for the second part of her biography Matisse the Master, beating odds-on favorite The Accidental by Ali Smith and three other finalists, Whitbread PLC announced.

Spurling took 15 years to write Matisse the Master, published by Hamish Hamilton. Over that time she'd gained unrestricted access to the Matise family’s correspondence and additional materials that had lulled in in private archives. Her book was a surprising winner over The Accidental by Ali Smith, which recently won the Whitbread Best Novel Award.

Matisse the Master portrays the artist’s lifetime of desperation and self-doubt, as well as Matisse’s attempts to counteract the violence and disruption of the twentieth century in paintings that appeared serene, radiant and stable, Whitbread judges noted.

"We all agreed when you get to the end you’re sorry it's finished, an extraordinary achievement for a book of this length," said judge chairman Michael Morpurgo.

Spurling was awarded a 25,000-pound check at this week’s awards ceremony at The Brewery in Central London. The Whitbread, which has become one of the world’s most prestigious awards, goes to authors who were first published in the UK or Ireland.

Additional finalists this year included debut novelist Tash Aw for The Harmony Silk Factory, poet Christopher Logue for Cold Calls and children’s book The New Policeman by Kate Thompson.

Spurling previously authored The Unknown Matisse: The Early Years, 1869-1908, a tie-in to the Whitbread winner. She also penned four other biographies and is a regular book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph and New York Times.

 

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