Barbellion Prize

Drawing of Barbellion used by the prize

The Barbellion Prize is a British literary award "dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing".[1] It is awarded annually to a writer, in any genre, who has a chronic illness or is living with a disability.[2][3][4][5] The prize was founded in 2020 by Jake Goldsmith, who has cystic fibrosis and whose memoir Neither Weak nor Obtuse was published in 2022 by Sagging Meniscus Books (ISBN 978-1952386398).[6][7] It is named after the pseudonymous W. N. P. Barbellion (1889–1919; real name Bruce Frederick Cummings), the author of The Journal of a Disappointed Man, who had multiple sclerosis and died at the age of 30.[7] In 2023, Goldsmith announced that the prize "will be put on an indefinite hiatus " and the 2023 prize would not be awarded, but that "We may be able to continue in 2024 under better circumstances".[8]

The prize is international and is open to new translations into English, and to self-published works, but not to unpublished work. Eligibility is "predicated on the author's presentation of life with a long-term chronic illness or disability ... that may substantially define one's life", and "Authors - such as those in a carer's capacity - who themselves are not disabled may be considered for the prize if their work is truly exceptional as an articulation of life with illness" but they will be given lower priority.[1] The winner receives £1,000, a glass trophy, and a copy of Barbellion's The Journal of a Disappointed Man.[1]

Winners

2020

• Golem Girl: a memoir by the artist Riva Lehrer, who has spina bifida[9] (Virago, ISBN 9780349014814)

2021

• What Willow Says by Lynn Buckle, who is Deaf:[10] a novel about a deaf child and her grandmother and their use of sign language[5][11] (Époque Press, ISBN 978-1838059286)

2022

• Book of Hours: An Almanac for The Seasons of The Soul by Letty McHugh, who has multiple sclerosis.[12][13] The book is self-published and available online.[14][15]

References

1. "Home page". The Barbellion Prize. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
2. "A prize bash". TLS. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
3. McDaid, Heather (13 December 2021). "2021 Barbellion Prize longlist announced". Publishing Scotland. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
4. "Barbellion Prize longlist 2020". National Centre for Writing. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
5. Bayley, Sian (12 February 2022). "Buckle wins Barbellion Prize for 'powerful' novel What Willow Says". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
6. "Neither Weak Nor Obtuse". Sagging Meniscus Press. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
7. "FAQs". The Barbellion Prize. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
8. "The Barbellion Prize". The Barbellion Prize. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023.
9. Chandler, Mark (10 February 2021). "Lehrer's Golem Girl wins inaugural Barbellion Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
10. "About". Lynn Buckle. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
11. "What Willow Says". époque press. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
12. Kemp-Habib, Alice (15 February 2023). "McHugh's 'small gem of a book' wins Barbellion Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
13. "The Barbellion Prize 2022". Barbellion Prize. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
14. "Home page". Letty McHugh. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
15. "Book of Hours by Letty McHugh". issuu.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.

External links

• Official website