Ian Thomson wins Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize

Congratulations to Ian Thomson who last night won the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize, awarded by Sir Christopher Ondaatje at a dinner in the Travellers Club.  The £10,000 award is given for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry which evokes the "spirit of a place".

Ian’s book The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica is an investigation into the gritty underside of the "corrupted Eden", and was praised by the judges Kathleen Jamie, Steve Jones and Penelope Lively as a “revelation for those to whom Jamaica means only music, sunshine and cricket. This is the best kind of travel writing: stimulating, educative and evocative.”  They also described Ian as “a brave writer who takes himself into unexpected, sometimes edgy places.” 

Thomson beat Guardian journalist Madeleine Bunting's The Plot, Kachi A. Ozumba's novel of contemporary Nigeria The Shadow of a Smile, Daniyal Mueenuddin's short story collection In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, Iain Sinclair's That Rose-Red Empire, and The Music Room by William Fiennes, to join a roster of previous winners which includes James Meek, Rory Stewart, Graham Robb and Hisham Matar.