2020 Winner

2020

Nominated by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Redbridge Libraries, Stadtbücherei Frankfurt am Main

Judges

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Cathy Rentzenbrink was born in Cornwall, grew up in Yorkshire, lived in London for twenty years, and has now moved back to Cornwall. She is the author of The Last Act of Love, which was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller of the year and was shortlisted for the Wellcome Prize and the Portico Prize. She followed this with A Manual for Heartache and her next book is called Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books and will be published in September 2020. Cathy presents The Bookseller podcast, writes a column for Prospect, reviews books for The Times, and speaks and writes regularly on life, death, love and literature. She is often to be found doing events in bookshops and libraries, at festivals, and in prisons.

Chris Morash (Non Voting Chair)

Chris Morash (Non Voting Chair)

Chris Morash is the Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing in Trinity College Dublin, where he served as Vice-Provost of the university from 2016-19.   His most recent book, Dublin: A Writer’s City will be published early in 2023.   Among his other books are Yeats on Theatre (2021),  A History of Irish Theatre 1601-2000 (2002),  A History of the Media in Ireland (2009) and he is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Modern Irish Theatre (2016).  He is currently editing the Cambridge History of the Irish Novel.  He was the 2022 Macgeorge Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and curated the Unseen Plays series for the Abbey Theatre (2021);  from 2009 to 2014, he served as the first chair of the Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.  He was elected to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy in 2007, and to Fellowship of Trinity in 2016.  His latest book, as of 2023, is Dublin: A Writer’s City.

Niall MacMonagle

Niall MacMonagle

Niall MacMonagle  was born in Killarney and studied at UCC where he wrote an MA thesis on Virginia Woolf. He taught English for thirty-five years, first at Bandon Grammar School and then at Wesley College, Dublin. He has edited several anthologies and textbooks including the Lifelines series, Poetry Now and Windharp Poems of Ireland since 1916. He writes a weekly art column in the Sunday Independent and broadcasts frequently on RTE Radio 1. He founded Poetry Aloud, has done many public author interviews and has served on the boards of the National Library and the Seamus Heaney Foundation. In 2017, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by UCD for services to literature.

Shreela Ghosh

Shreela Ghosh

Shreela Ghosh was born in Shillong, India and lives in London. She has worked in the Arts for more than 30 years and in 2009, she became the founding director of the Freeword Centre in London which brings together people working in literature, literacy and free expression. For several years the International Translation Day conference was held at Freeword. Shreela continues to champion translators and promotes translating as a creative act. Between, 2011 – 2018, she was part of the British Council’s Global Arts senior management team. During this period, she felt privileged to live and work both in Dhaka, Bangladesh and in New Delhi, India. Shreela believes that novels are the best place to start if you want to understand another culture.

Yannick Garcia

Yannick Garcia

Yannick Garcia is a Catalan writer and translator based in Barcelona. He has published poetry, for which he won the Gabriel Ferrater Prize, as well as short story collections, such as Barbamecs and La nostra vida vertical which was awarded the Documenta Prize. Many of his stories have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies and have been translated into Spanish, Italian or Galician. He has also translated dozens of books from English and French into Catalan and Spanish by authors such as George Saunders, Lydia Davis, Sherman Alexie, David Vann, Sebastian Barry, Joseph O’Connor, Carson McCullers or Joseph Conrad. He has taught translation, interpretation and creative writing at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

Zoë Strachan

Zoë Strachan

Zoë Strachan was born in Scotland and is the award-winning author of three novels: Ever Fallen in Love, Spin Cycle and Negative Space. As an editor, she has collected six new writing anthologies, and she also publishes short stories, essays and criticism. She teaches Creative Writing at University of Glasgow and has a PhD in Scottish Literature. Fellowships include the International Writing Program of University of Iowa, the University of Otago, UNESCO City of Literature writer-in-residence at the National Museum of Scotland and a Robert Louis Stevenson Award. Two of her works for stage are Panic Patterns (with Louise Welsh) and an opera adaptation of The Lady from the Sea (music by Craig Armstrong) for the Edinburgh International Festival, where it won a Herald Angel Award.

SHORTLIST LIBRARIES

France
The City of Colmar has a network of libraries to best satisfy the inhabitants of each neighborhood. Pôle média-culture (PMC) Edmond Gerrer – 1 place..
France
The Bpi is a public library for anyone looking for information or in training, whether for personal or professional reasons, for school or university study…
USA
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for..
USA
Guided by our mission of literacy and learning and our dedication to patron-focused services and programs, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is a destination space for..
New Zealand
Christchurch City Libraries has grown from a single room opened at the city’s Mechanics Institute in 1859 to today’s network of 20 libraries, a mobile..
USA
The Denver Public Library takes great pride in designing programs and services for the unique neighborhoods and communities that each of our branch libraries serves…
USA
The Ferguson Library helps individuals and organizations achieve success in an effort to build a strong, vibrant and inclusive community.
USA
The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity. Its vision is to build an enlightened community..
USA
The Iowa City Public Library is a center of community life that connects people of all ages with information, engages them with the world of..
Jamaica
The Jamaica Library Service was established in 1948 and provides, under the Ministry of Education and Youth, a Library Service free to the public and..
USA
The Kansas City Public Library is a doorway to knowledge for all people in our community.
USA
The new library made its grand opening to the public on February 21, 1977 with a collection of over 250,000 volumes. The building was noted..
United Kingdom
See the famous collections of rare books housed in the magnificent Hornby Library and Oak Room. View the impressive Picton Reading Room, one of the..
USA
The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and..
Poland
Tadeusz Różewicz Municipal Public Library in Wrocław utilizes most up-to-date technology as well as knowledge and experience of our employees to provide free and full..
USA
The Milwaukee Public Library’s historic downtown Central Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The building is evolving; in 2010 a 30,000 sq. ft. green roof..
USA
Multnomah County Library is the oldest public library west of the Mississippi, with a history that reaches back to 1864. Today, Central Library and the..
USA
The New Hampshire State Library is the first state library in America and was founded on January 25, 1717.
England
At Nottingham City Libraries we want everyone to get the most out of their local library. We understand that life can be hard and money..
Canada
OPL’s vision is to build community and transform lives; our mission is to inspire learning, spark curiosity, and connect people; our core values are Community,..
England
Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure is a registered charity and as a non-profit organisation any surplus we make will be reinvested for community benefit, to..
USA
The mission of the Richmond Public Library is to inform, enrich, and empower Richmond’s residents: to enrich lives and expand opportunities for all citizens by..
USA
San José Public Library (SJPL), located in Silicon Valley, is the largest public library system between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
USA
Since 1891, we have grown from a single reading room in Pioneer Square to a world-class Library system with 27 locations. Learn more about us,..
Germany
The Public Library includes the Central Library with Music Library, the Central Children’s and Youth Library, 16 libraries in the city districts, the Mobile Library..
Canada
With 100 Toronto Public Library branches in every neighbourhood, bookmobiles crisscrossing the city, and a wide range of services and resources available on our website,..
Canada
Vancouver Public Library has been dedicated to meeting the lifelong learning, reading and information needs of Vancouver residents for more than 100 years.
Greece
The Central Public Library of Veria provides services for education, information and entertainment which contribute to the improvement of the quality of living. We develop..

LONGLIST LIBRARIES

Aarhus BibliotekerneAll-Russia State Library for Foreign LiteratureAuckland LibrariesBergen Offentlige BibliotekBiblioteca Daniel Cosío VillegasBiblioteca de AndalucíaBiblioteca Demonstrativa Maria da Conceição Moreira SallesBiblioteca Nazionale Centrale di RomaBiblioteca Nazionale di Napoli “Vittorio Emanuele III”Biblioteca Pública Municipal do Porto / Porto Municipal LibrariesBibliotecas municipais de Lisboa / Municipal Libraries LisbonBibliotheek Den Haag (Libraries of The Hague)Bibliotheken der Stadt MainzBibliothèque municipale de ColmarBibliothèque Municipale de ReimsBibliothèque publique d’informationBibliothèques Municipales GenèveBoston Public LibraryBucheon City LibraryBüchereien Wien – ViennaCape Breton Regional LibraryCarnegie Library of PittsburghCentro Cultural Biblioteca Luis Echavarría Villegas – MedellinChicago Public LibraryChristchurch City LibrariesCity of Cape Town Library and information ServicesCleveland Public LibraryCork City LibrariesDe Bibliotheek UtrechtDenver Public LibraryDublin City LibrariesDunedin Public LibrariesDurban Central LibraryEspoo City LibraryFerguson LibraryFree Library of PhiladelphiaGalway Public LibrariesGradska knjižnice Rijeka (Rijeka City Library)Hartford Public LibraryHelsinki City LibraryHouston Public LibraryIndia International Centre LibraryIowa City Public LibraryJamaica Library ServiceKansas City Public LibraryKatona József Library of Bács-Kiskun CountyLaramie County Library SystemLeipziger Städtische BibliothekenLeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library SystemLibraries TasmaniaLincoln LibraryLiverpool City LibrariesLos Angeles Public LibraryMariborska knjižnica (Maribor Library)Mestna knjižnica Ljubljana/Ljubljana City LibraryMiami-Dade Public Library SystemMiejska Biblioteka Publiczna we Wrocławiu (Wrocław Public Library)Milwaukee Public LibraryMultnomah County LibraryMünchner StadtbibliothekMunicipal Library of PragueMuntpunt – Hoofdstedelijke Openbare BibliotheekNew Hampshire State LibraryNewfoundland & Labrador Public LibrariesNorfolk Library and Information ServiceNottingham City LibrariesOklahoma Department of LibrariesOpenbare Bibliotheek Brugge (Bruges Public Library)Openbare Bibliotheek GentOpenbare Bibliotheek, EindhovenOpenbare Bibliotheek, RotterdamOslo Public Library (Deichman)Ottawa Public LibraryPikes Peak Library DistrictRedbridge LibrariesRegionální knihovna Karviná (Regional Library of Karviná)Reykjavík City LibraryRichland LibraryRichmond Public LibrarySaint John Free Public LibrarySan Diego Public LibrarySan José Public LibrarySeattle Public LibrarySølvberget Library & Culture CentreStadtbibliothek BremenStadtbücherei Frankfurt am MainStadtbücherei HeidelbergStadtbüchereien DüsseldorfState Library of New South WalesState Library of QueenslandState Library of South AustraliaStockholm Public LibraryTallinn Central LibraryTampere City LibraryTartu Public Library/Tartu LinnaraamatukoguThe National Library of AustraliaThe National Library of MalaysiaThe State Library of VictoriaTimaru District LibrariesToronto Public LibraryUniversitäts-und Landesbibliothek BonnUniversitätsbibliothek BernVancouver Public LibraryVeria Central Public LibraryWaterford City and County LibrariesWellington City LibrariesWinnipeg Public LibraryWojewódzka Biblioteka Publiczna im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego w Łodzi (Jozef Pilsudski Regional and Municipal Public Library in Lodz)Wojewodzka Biblioteka Publiczna w Krakowie (Kraków Public Library)Zentral- und Landesbibliothek BerlinZentralbibliothek Zürich

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