This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Scottish Book Award winners
06/06/2002
The author Ali Smith, from Inverness, has received the inaugural Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Award for her second novel, Hotel World.
The Children's Book of the Year Award went to Alison Prince, an Arran-based writer, for Oranges and Murder, a mystery story set in Dickensian London.
Speaking at the award ceremony in Edinburgh, Deputy Culture Minister, Dr Elaine Murray said:
"Scotland has an unrivalled history of literary distinction, and these awards show that we have as much to be excited about in the present and future of Scottish writing.
"Book reading is not only competing against other forms of entertainment, but also against a mass of other printed media. Sometimes we need to be reminded how satisfying and rewarding it can be to read.
"The Scottish Book Awards are a way of getting books into the hands of potential readers. The awards profile some of the best Scottish books that will bring inspiration to adults and children alike."
There were a total of six awards given in the two categories. Book of the Year took £10,000, and Children's Book £5000. The other four shortlisted writers - Peter Burnett, Meaghan Delahunt, Julia Donaldson, and Debi Gliori - received £2000.
Dr Murray continued:
"We are determined to maintain Scotland as a land of literature, and a nation of great storytellers. Improving reading skills can make a huge difference to people, offering self confidence and job prospects, as well as helping them to play a fuller part in family and community life."
The Scottish Arts Council has recently announced extra funding for literary festivals across Scotland, together with a £27,000 boost for storytelling projects.
The Executive's National Cultural Strategy promotes the social benefits of culture and the important strengths of creativity as a resource in education and lifelong learning. The National Cultural Strategy was launched in August 2000 to provide a comprehensive framework of action to underpin the development of Scotland's cultural life to 2004. Its four strategic objectives are to:
- promote creativity
- celebrate Scotland's cultural heritage
- realise culture's potential contributions to education, social inclusion and enhancing people's quality of life, and
- assure an effective national support framework for culture.