The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021 winner has now been announced after the esteemed judges chaired by Bernadine Evaristo determined which of the sixteen longlisted novels had earned the ultimate prize.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction has long been considered one of the most prestigious awards for writers across the world. As one of the greatest annual, international celebrations of women’s writing and creativity, the Prize celebrates ambitious and truly unforgettable original fiction written in English by women based anywhere in the world. From the best mystery books to fantasy books there’s so much literary talent to explore. And with some of the best books of 2021 included on the original Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist back in March, this year’s judges were left with a difficult decision to make as they whittled down these spellbinding novels to just one outstanding winner.
Now this winning novel will surely be joining some of the greats as one of the best books of all time. At an awards ceremony held in Bedford Square Gardens on September 8 hosted by novelist and Women’s Prize Founder Director, Kate Mosse, it was Susanna Clarke who was announced the winner with her novel Piranesi.
The delighted writer was presented with the £30,000 prize, endowed by an anonymous donor, by the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021 Chair of Judges Bernardine Evaristo. Susanna was also the recipient of the ‘Bessie’—a limited edition bronze figurine by Grizel Niven in honor of her achievement.
Susanna Clarke’s winning novel, Piranesi, is a dark tale with distinctly Gothic elements. Following Piranesi who lives in a mysterious house, spending his life cut off from the wider world, his head inside his notebooks. However, when messages start to appear scratched out on the pavements, Piranesi begins to wonder if someone else could be infringing on his meticulously curated world...
Speaking during what is the Women’s Prize for Fiction’s milestone 26th year, Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other, revealed the compelling reasoning behind the decision to award Piranesi this highly-coveted prize.
“We wanted to find a book that we'd press into readers’ hands, which would have a lasting impact. With her first novel in seventeen years, Susanna Clarke has given us a truly original, unexpected flight of fancy which melds genres and challenges preconceptions about what books should be,” Bernardine declared.
“She has created a world beyond our wildest imagination that also tells us something profound about what it is to be human.”
We are delighted to reveal that the 2021 #WomensPrize for Fiction winner is Susanna Clarke with Piranesi.Congratulations Susanna 👏Find out more about why the judges chose Piranesi here: https://t.co/mOBX5d9xss pic.twitter.com/a7Ge4mX2qnSeptember 8, 2021
Bernardine was joined on the Women's Prize for Fiction judging panel this year by podcaster, author and journalist Elizabeth Day, TV and radio presenter, journalist and writer Vick Hope, print columnist and writer Nesrine Malik and news presenter and broadcaster Sarah-Jane Mee.
Set up in 1996, the Women’s Prize for Fiction promotes fiction written by women, aiming to help it reach the widest range of readers possible. It awards the prize to the best full-length novel of the year published in the UK between April and March the following year. Now Piranesi has definitely become one of those books you should read at least once.
Will you be adding new Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi to your reading list this autumn?
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