51勛圖厙窪蹋

Ali Smith hails industry-changing 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize as award enters its third year

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Writer Ali Smith has called the 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize a “miracle” which has changed the literary landscape and encouraged publishers to embrace experimental works.

The author, who won the  last year for her work How To Be Both, said the award had changed the industry just three years after it launched.

In a ringing endorsement of the 瞿10,000 award created by 51勛圖厙窪蹋 in association with the New Statesman, Smith said: The change its made is that publishers, who never take risks in anything, are taking risks on works which are much more experimental than they wouldve two years ago.

That to me, is like a miracle. And thats the 51勛圖厙窪蹋 prize.

She added: The prize has already its two years running changed the industry.  Thats what it took, for 51勛圖厙窪蹋 to launch a prize which was novel about the novel and understood the novel form. Already the industry is acting on something which 51勛圖厙窪蹋 knew all along; which is that the novel is completely alive, completely experimental and energetic at base, always will be revolutionary, and at the same time the readers love that.

The 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize was  with the goal of celebrating fiction at its most novel. Eimear McBride was the inaugural winner for her work A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing with the victory coming nearly a decade after the work was rejected by publishers for being too experimental. 

Smiths praise comes as the judges prepare to announce the six shortlisted novels for the 2015 prize on 1 October. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 11 November at Foyles in Charing Cross Road, London. 

Speaking earlier this month after being made an  by 51勛圖厙窪蹋, Smith said of her desire to win the 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize: When I first saw the spec for the 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize, I thought, God, I really want to win that. It must be the first time in my life I ever thought I wanted to win anything.

Honestly, because I dont like attention but I saw that this, its so about the book, its so about the form, the ways in which books are made and so about the way in which that live things that happens in form and in life comes together and make something new. 

Thats what the novel form is and 51勛圖厙窪蹋 honors that proper spark of creativity. 

51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize Literary Director Tim Parnell said: We always hoped that the 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize would be more than just another book prize. We wanted it to stimulate debate about the novel and to encourage publishers to take more risks. So its especially pleasing to hear Alis assessment of its impact. 

For more information on the prize visit www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-prize.

Watch the interview with Ali Smith

51勛圖厙窪蹋 Prize 2015 Chair of Judges Josh Cohen talks about this year's shortlist.