Craig Cliff wins Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2011 Best First Book for A Man Melting
Random House warmly congratulates New Zealand author Craig Cliff on winning the Best First Book at the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for his book A Man Melting.
Announced in Sydney on 21st May as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, the judges chose this highly entertaining and thought provoking collection of short stories for their ambition, creativity and craftsmanship.
The judges praised Cliff for confidently blending ideas that frequently weave outlandish concepts with everyday incidents; the prose is skilfully peppered with social observations that define the world we live in. The eighteen short stories are truly insightful and amplify many of the absurdities around us, reflecting our own expectations, fears and paranoia on the big questions in life. This book is of the moment, and is rightly at home on a global platform. Cliff is a talent to watch and set to take the literary world by storm.
Nicholas Hasluck, Chair of the judging panel said, ‘This year’s winning books demonstrate the irreducible power of the written word at a time of rapid global change and uncertainty. The standard of entries this year has been exceptional, showcasing work with strong insight, spirit and voice introducing readers to unfamiliar worlds.’
Craig Cliff was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. A graduate of Victoria University’s MA in creative writing, his short stories and poetry have been published in New Zealand and Australia. His short story 'Another Language' won the novice section of the 2007 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards. Craig lives in Wellington, New Zealand. www.craigcliff.com
A Man Melting is an entertaining collection of eighteen short stories. From somber, reflective realism to the hilarious and unexpected, each story finds a distinct place in the collection.
‘The idea for my collection stems from my story Copies.’ says Craig. ‘It begins, “Life is a series of imperfect repetitions” and explores the concept of copies in a number of ways. A Man Melting is its own series of imperfect repetitions with each story lifting an element from the previous story.’ Copies was written when Craig was just 23 years of age.
More on the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize
Established in 1987, the prize aims to recognise the best fiction by both established and new writers from Commonwealth countries and ensure these works reach a wider audience outside their countries of origin. Almost 200 books have now been recognised with prizes since the scheme began.
The Prize aims to discover and promote up-and-coming and under-recognised writers, encourage dialogue and understanding of different cultures through reading, and share compelling stories of human experience.
For the last 25 years the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize has played a key role in unearthing new international literary names, bringing compelling stories of human experience to a wider audience. As highly acclaimed international authors Aminatta Forna (Best Book winner 2011) and Craig Cliff will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in modern fiction in winning the Prize, including Louis De Bernieres, Andrea Levy, Ian McEwan, and Zadie Smith.