7°c Clear
19°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Teacher turned novelist wins Orange Prize
LONDON -- American Madeline Miller, a classics teacher turned novelist, took home the prestigious Orange Prize for fiction on Wednesday for her debut book, The Song of Achilles.
The book retells the story of Patroclus and the legendary warrior Achilles from their first meeting as children to their deaths at the siege of Troy.
Joanna Trollope, who chaired the judging panel, described Miller's retelling of the ancient Greek myth as "inventive, passionate, uplifting and different" at the awards ceremony in London's Royal Festival Hall.
Miller -- who spent 10 years writing the book while working as a Greek and Latin teacher -- said she was "overwhelmed" and "humble" by the US$46,000 prize.
Victoria-based Esi Edugyan was on the short list for Half Blood Blues, which won Canada's richest literary award, the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, in November.
Two other Americans had joined Miller on the six-book short list for the prize -- Cynthia Ozick for Foreign Bodies and Ann Patchett for State of Wonder.
Also on the short list were The Forgotten Waltz by Ireland's Anne Enright and Painter of Silence by British writer Georgina Harding.
The prize is open to any novel by a woman published in English.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 1, 2012 D2
More Books
- Back to Top
- Return to Books
More Books
(1 of 30 articles for this week)
Khaled Hosseini discusses novel, "And the Mountains Echoed," at NY reading; book spans decades
1:59 AM 0
Poll
Most Popular Books
- First edition 'Harry Potter' book, with JK Rowling's notes and drawings, sold for $228,000
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Political stories entertaining, thought provoking
- Anne Murray memoir blows the lid off image of fresh-faced singer
- Nigerian novel critiques U.S. attitudes toward race
- Fight inspired game of Quidditch
- CHILDREN'S BOOKS: First novel tribute to power of books
- PAPER CHASE: Give grad the gift of penny-pinching
- Ebook sales plateauing: BookNet Canada report
- Review: 'And the Mountains Echoed,' Khaled Hosseini's new book, is another tear-jerker
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Anne Murray memoir blows the lid off image of fresh-faced singer
- Nigerian novel critiques U.S. attitudes toward race
- First edition 'Harry Potter' book, with JK Rowling's notes and drawings, sold for $228,000
- PAPER CHASE: Give grad the gift of penny-pinching
- Mennonite women's new cookbook geared to celebrating life's milestones
- Life of Pi author Martel hears from Obama
- CHILDREN'S BOOKS: First novel tribute to power of books
- Political stories entertaining, thought provoking
- Ultimate fighter learns from fear
- Anne Murray memoir blows the lid off image of fresh-faced singer
- Drunk Mom covers booze, but not the baby
- A long, dangerous road: Refugees share their journeys from Africa to Manitoba
- Cosmologist fights to bring real time back into physics
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Life of Pi author Martel hears from Obama
- In the end, they knew what they were fighting against
- Hookup culture killing romance with sex
- Nigerian novel critiques U.S. attitudes toward race
- Mommy drinks because you cry!
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Ultimate fighter learns from fear
- First edition 'Harry Potter' book, with JK Rowling's notes and drawings, sold for $228,000
- Ultimate fighter learns from fear
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Short-fiction contest winners announced
- Nigerian novel critiques U.S. attitudes toward race
- First edition 'Harry Potter' book, with JK Rowling's notes and drawings, sold for $228,000
- Ultimate fighter learns from fear
- Families seek apology, ways to prevent other deaths
- Life of Pi author Martel hears from Obama
- Corporate control main problem with GMOs
- Less is more: Danish chef Trine Hahnemann promotes sustainable, seasonal eating
- Mommy drinks because you cry!
- SUSPENSE: Original European sleuth deserves wider audience
- Pat Conroy memoir about his father, 'The Death of Santini,' coming out in October
- Fascinating story of Canadian-U.S. differences
- A killer of a day really may be one
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.