Judging panel announced for Man Booker Prize 2009

The judging panel for the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been announced. The line-up consists of Lucasta Miller, biographer and critic; Michael Prodger, Literary Editor of The Sunday Telegraph; John Mullan, academic, journalist and broadcaster and Sue Perkins, comedian and broadcaster. James Naughtie, one of the country's best-known broadcasters, was announced as Chair of the Judges in November. Ion Trewin, Literary Director of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, describes the 2009 Judging panel as 'A team of all the talents, wide-ranging in their specialist knowledge, but united in their passion for fiction.'

2008 Guardian first book award winner announced

"An intricate, kaleidoscopic, all-embracing history of 20th-century music from Mahler to La Monte Young is the winner of this year's Guardian first book award. Alex Ross's The Rest Is Noise was the clear and undisputed winner of the £10,000 prize, which has been presented at a ceremony in central London"

Author angry as Christian group forces reading to be scrapped

"A poetry reading at a Cardiff, Wales, bookshop was abruptly cancelled last night after a religious pressure group vowed to disrupt the event if it went ahead. Patrick Jones, brother of Manic Street Preachers' bassist Nicky Wire, was due to give a reading of his new poetry book, Darkness is Where The Stars Are, at Waterstones on the Hayes at 7pm last night. But shortly before he was due to speak, he received an e-mail from the firm which read: 'Please be advised that to avoid potential disruption to our store, tonight's planned event at Waterstones in Cardiff is cancelled.' Mr Jones, 43, from Blackwood, said he was later told over the phone that Waterstones had received 'hundreds of complaints' from people opposed to the poems' subject matter. The Echo has discovered the group behind the protest was Christian Voice, which waged war against the BBC after it screened a production of Jerry Springer - The Opera. 'I'm a bit shaken and shocked,' said Mr Jones, who is credited as being one of the earliest influences on the Manic Street Preachers - Wales Online
Technorati Tag: Books

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize winners

The winner of the Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under was The Witch's Children Go to School by Ursula Jones, illus. Russell Ayto (Orchard Books). The winner of the Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen was Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illus. David Tazzyman (Egmont Press). The panel of five judges was chaired by Michael Rosen; the other judges were Sophie Dahl, Dara O'Briain, Chris Riddell and Kaye Umansky
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European Booksellers Federation statement on the Association of American Publishers, Authors' Guild, Google settlement agreement

The European Booksellers Federation is the latest trade body to criticise Google's provisional deal with US publishers to allow users to browse and buy millions of books online

Wellcome Trust Book Prize

The Wellcome Trust Book Prize is open to outstanding works of fiction and non-fiction on the theme of health, illness or medicine. The GBP25,000 annual award, created by the Wellcome Trust, is the first of its kind to bring together the traditionally diverse fields of medicine and literature
Technorati Tag: Books

Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 winner

Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 winner is Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger