Irish author Colm Toibin won the world's richest literary prize for a single work of fiction in English on Tuesday for 'The Master.'
DUBLIN: Irish author Colm Toibin won the world's richest literary prize for a single work of fiction in English on Tuesday for The Master, his portrayal of 19th century novelist and critic Henry James.
Toibin, whose previous works include The South and The Blackwater Lightship' collected 100,000 euros ($125,800) as part of the annual International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, fending off competition from nine other shortlisted writers.
"I feel great -- the money's amazing," Toibin, who narrowly missed out on the 2004 Man Booker prize, said adding that the cash would 'buy time' to write his next novel.
Asked how he planned to celebrate his success, he said: "Well, I have to stay sober all day because there's a dinner this evening. So I'll start drinking about 11 O'clock tonight and I don't know when I'll stop."
Wexford-born Toibin, 51, is the first Irish writer to win the award, which was set up by Dublin City Council and US management company IMPAC and is now in its 11th year.
Previous winners include Australia's David Malouf, Britain's Nicola Barker, and French writer Michel Houellebecq.
The IMPAC judges, among them Scottish novelist Andrew O'Hagan and Italian poet Paolo Ruffilli, hailed what they called Toibin's 'crisp, modulated writing."
"(The book's) preoccupations are truth and the elusiveness of intimacy, and from such preoccupations emerge this patient, beautiful exposure of loss and the price of the pursuit of perfection," they said in a statement.
Other contenders for the award included fellow Irish writer Ronan Bennett for Havoc in its Third Year, Britain's Jonathan Coe for The Closed Circle and Nigerian author Chris Abani for Graceland.
The 10 shortlisted titles for the prize were selected from a list of 132 nominated by 180 libraries from 43 countries.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}