LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) – American author Maggie Shipstead
won the University of Wales Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers
on Friday for her debut novel “Seating Arrangements,” a social
satire that seeks to lay bare the pretensions of old-money, New
England society.
Shipstead, born in 1983, was one of five shortlisted authors
for the award, which comes with a 30,000 pound ($50,000) cheque.
“The winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize before she’s 30, the
smart money has to be on Maggie Shipstead winning a Pulitzer
before she’s 50,” said novelist Allison Pearson, who was on the
judging panel.
“Shipstead has imagined herself inside the head of a
59-year-old male in the grip of an erotic infatuation,” she
added. “This is territory that has been covered by the greats
of American fiction, including John Updike and Jane Smiley.
“Maggie Shipstead doesn’t just follow in their footsteps;
she beats a distinctive and dazzling path of her own. The world
has found a remarkable, humane new voice to explain us to
ourselves.”
The 59-year-old of the story is Winn, a well-to-do family
patriarch who faces a mid-life crisis as the wedding of his
eldest daughter Daphne approaches.
Published in May, “Seating Arrangements” won warm praise
from U.S. critics including Dylan Landis in the New York Times.
“Frequent shifts in point of view give the book a waltzlike
rhythm, with beats of startling beauty,” Landis wrote,
describing Shipstead’s book as “smart and frothy”.
Open to any published author in the English language under
the age of 30, the award celebrates the legacy of Welsh poet and
writer Dylan Thomas who, the prize organisers said, wrote most
of his best work in his 20s.
The other Dylan Thomas Prize nominees this year were Tom
Benn (The Doll Princess), Andrea Eames (The White Shadow),
Chibundu Onuzo (The Spider King’s Daughter) and D.W. Wilson
(Once You Break A Knuckle).
Previous winners were Rachel Trezise, whose “Fresh Apples”
won the inaugural prize in 2006, Vietnamese writer Nam Le with
“The Boat” (2008), Elyse Fenton for “Clamour” (2010) and Lucy
Caldwell for “The Meeting Point” (2011).
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Patricia Reaney)
