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HOUSING CIVIL ENGINEERING ARTS IN ARCHITECTURE FLETCHER OF SALTOUN HISTORY BOOK DOCUMENTARY FILM RESEARCH BOOK SCIENCE SCOTS SONG TESS EDUC. LITERARY Panel  Results SALTIRE SOCIETY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES The Society is currently seeking a new sponsor for its 2008 Scottish Book of the Year Award. The amount of sponsorship required is in the region of £30,000. Please click here for more information. Interested? Please contact the Adminstrator. LITERARY AWARDS CEREMONY 2007 The 2007 Award Ceremony was held on Friday 30th November at 12.30 p.m. at The National Library of Scotland, Causwayside Building THE WINNERS: Scottish Book of the Year - A L Kennedy's Day published by Jonathan Cape Scottish First Book of the Year - Mark McNay's Fresh A Novel published by Cannongate About the winning authors: A L KENNEDY A L Kennedy was born in Dundee on 22nd October 1965. Having studied English and Drama at Warwick University A L Kennedy became a Writer in Residence for Hamilton and East Kilbride Social Work Department. In 1990 she won the Social Work Today Award. Her first book Night Geometry And The Garscadden Trains Short story collection was published in 1991 and won the Saltire Society's Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Other publications by A L Kennedy include: - · Now That You're Back (1994) · Original Bliss (1997) · Looking for the Possible Dance (1993) · So I Am Glad (1995) · Everything You Need (1999) MARK MCNAY Mark McNay was born in 1965 in central Scotland. Mark joined the University of East Anglia creative writing course in 1999 and graduated in 2003 with distinction. He currently lives in Norwich, working with people suffering from mental health problems. SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR short list - supported by The Faculty of Advocates. Meg Bateman Soirbheas - Fair Wind, Polygon Robert Crawford Scotland's Books The Penguin History of Scottish Literature, Penguin William Dalrymple The Last Mughal, The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857, Bloomsbury A L Kennedy Day, Jonathan Cape Marista Leishman My Father: Reith of the BBC, Saint Andrew Press Andrew Marr A History of Modern Britain(BBC), MacMillan Iain Moireach Snìomh Nan Dual 6 Cluichean, Acair Don Paterson Orpheus, Faber and Faber Trevor Royle The Flowers of the Forest, Scotland and the First World War, Birlinn SCOTTISH FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR short list - supported by The Royal Mail Group. Angus Dunn Writing in the Sand, Luath Press Mark McNay Fresh A Novel, Canongate Stef Penney The Tenderness of Wolves, Quercus Remzije Sherifi Shadow Behind the Sun, Sandstone Press The selection procedure: The Literary Editors of leading Scottish newspapers and the editors of magazines and reviews in Scotland concerned with literature, are invited to nominate titles for the Award - up to 8th September - which, in their view, merit consideration for the Award from among the books reviewed in their pages during the preceding twelve months. The producers of book programmes on Scottish radio and television, book publishers and other interested parties are also invited to suggest titles. The Panel also suggest books for consideration. Sponsors for 2007:-   Royal Mail Group   Faculty of Advocates  THE MEMBERS OF THE PANEL ARE: Douglas Gifford (Convener) Ian Campbell Allan Boyd Joyce MacMillan Ann Matheson Ian Macdonald (Gaelic adviser) David Robb Marion Sinclair The Panel has the right to withhold the awards in any year when they consider that no book reaches the required standard. Books published between 1st September, 2007 and 31st August, 2008 will be eligible for consideration for the 2008 Award. The last date for nominations for the 2008 Literary Awards is September 2008. Nominations to: Kathleen Munro, Administrator, The Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close, 122 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TF   Scottish Literary Award   Scottish Literary Awards The Saltire Society announces the arrangements for their literary awards in the two categories: Scottish Book of the Year Award £5000 and Scottish First Book of the Year Award £1500 (by an author who has not previously published a book). They may be given for any book by an author or authors of Scottish descent or living in Scotland, or for any book which deals with the work or life of a Scot or with a Scottish question, event or situation. The book might be poetry, a novel, a play or other work of imaginative literature, or biography, literary criticism or a study of any Scottish issue. Books of multiple authorship would not normally qualify. Please click here for the 2007 Literary Awards flyer. Year Award Author Title Publisher Sponsor 1995 £1500 - Best First Book Ali Smith Free Love Virago Post Office 1996 £5000 - Book of the Year William McIlvanney The Kiln Hodder & Stoughton The Scotsman   £1500 - Best First Book Kate Clanchy Slattern Chatto & Windus Post Office 1997 £5000 - Book of the Year Bernard MacLaverty Grace Notes Jonathan Cape The Scotsman   £1500 - Best First Book Robin Robertson A Painted Field Picador Post Office 1998 £5000 - Book of the Year Alan Warner The Sopranos Jonathan Cape The Scotsman   £750 - Best First Book Christopher Wallace The Pied Piper’s Poison Flamingo Post Office   £750 - Best First Book Dennis O’Donnell Two Clocks Ticking Curly Snake Post Office 1999 £5000 - Book of the Year George Bruce Pursuits SCP The Scotsman   £1500 - Best First Book Michael Faber Some Rain Must Fall Canongate Post Office 2000 £5000 - Book of the Year Ronald Frame The Lantern Bearers Duckworth The Saltire Society   £1500 - Best First Book Douglas Galbraith The Rising Sun Picador Post Office   Commendation Hamish Henderson Collected Poems & Songs Curly Snake The Saltire Society 2001 £5000 - Book of the Year Liz Lochhead Medea Nick Hern Books The Saltire Society   Best First Book Meaghan Delahunt In the Blue House Bloomsbury Post Office 2002 £5000 - Book of the Year Janice Galloway Clara Johnathan Cape Saltire Society   £750 - First Book of the Year Liam McIlvanney Burns the Radical Tuckwell Saltire Society   £750 - First Book of the Year Louise Welsh The Cutting Room Canongate Saltire Society 2003 £5000 - Book of the Year James Robertson Joseph Knight Fourth Estate Saltire Society   £1500 - First Book of the Year Martainn Mac an t-Saoir Ath - Aithne Clar Royal Mail   £5000 - Lifetime Achievement Award Edwin Morgan (portrait) Robin Jenkins (£5000)     Scottish Arts Council 2004 £5000 - Book of the Year Andrew Greig In Another Light Weidenfeld & Nicolson Faculty of Advocates   £1500 - First Book of the Year Peter Hill Stargazing Canongate Books Royal Mail 2005 £5000 - Book of the Year Kate Atkinson Case Histories Doubleday Faculty of Advocates   £1500 - First Book of the Year John Aberdein Amande's Bed Thirsty Books Royal Mail 2006 Book of the Year John Burnside A Lie About My Father Jonathan Cape Faculty of Advocates   First Book of the Year Maggie Fergusson George Mackay Brown The Life John Murray Royal Mail 2007 Book of the Year A L Kennedy DAY Jonathan Cape Faculty of Advocates   First Book of the Year Mark McNay Fresh - A Novel Cannongate Books Royal Mail

Title: DAY
Author: A L Kennedy

Extract from DAY

Alfred was growing a moustache.

An untrained oserver might think he was idling, at a loose end in the
countryside, but this wasn't the case. In fact, he was concentrating,
thinking his way through every bristle, making sure they would align
and be all right.

His progress so far was quite impressive: a respectable growth which
already suggested reliability and calm. There were disadvantages to him,
certain defects: the shortness, inelegant hands, possible thinning at his
crown, habit of swallowing words before they could leave him, habit of
looking mainly at the ground - and those few extra pounds at his waist, a
lack of condition - but he wasn't so terribly ugly, not such a bad lot.

Mainly his problem was tiredness - or more an irritation with his tiredness
- or more a tiredness that was caused by his irritation - or possibly both.
He could no longer tell.

It wasn't that he was awkward, or peculiar, quite the reverse: he was biddable
and sensible and ordinary, nothing more: but even an ordinary person could
sometimes have enough and get browned off and, for example, want to be offered,
every now and then, a choice.

That was only reasonable, wasn't it? A man had to imagine he'd got a chance
of freedom, a bit of space. The interval between alternatives, that gave you space.
But sometimes you would consider yourself and all you could see were obstructions
and you'd be amazed that you ever were able to leave your house - your bed,
never mind your house. You'd look in the mirror some mornings and wonder why
it didn't show; the way most of you was always yelling to get out.

Moustache or not moustache, that wouldn't change.

Reproduced by kind permission of The Random House Group Ltd.