Richard Francis wins Chinese prize for best English book

THE OLD SPRING by Richard Francis was today announced as The People's Literature Publishing House of Beijing best English novel.

The novel, set over one day in a traditional English pub, was praised by Maggie Gee in the Guardian on first publication for capturing ‘the beauty and strangeness of small lives on a small island’. And its particular English flavour has gone down well with The People’s Literature Publishing House of Beijing, who as part of the prize are translating the novel into Chinese and will publish in December with Richard Francis in attendance.

Richard Francis said, ‘I am delighted to get this award, and the opportunity to visit China. The Old Spring is a particularly English sort of book, set in a pub, but perhaps that was the appeal.  The translator emailed to ask whether the "missionary position" referred to traditional methods of making love even in the context of boiling eggs, which gives some sense of the linguistic divide that has to be negotiated. However my Beijing editor came to Bath and went to my local in order to sample the atmosphere, so I hope something of the setting will be conveyed.’  

The UK paperback was published on Thursday 7th July.

Reviews:

‘Raise a glass for Richard Francis’s excellent novel’ Tom Sutcliffe, Independent
 
‘A wonderfully boozy evocation and celebration of pub life, full of all the sorts of characters you dread meeting in a public bar, but are glad you did’ Gerard Woodward

‘A love letter to the great British boozer, a place to plot and dream as well as drink’ Financial Times

‘For those who want to escape, be stimulated and enjoy brilliant writing’ Louise Welsh, Sunday Herald

‘A comic novel[ist] with a heart and soul’ Nick Hornby

‘Wry, humane comic writing’ The Times