The Irish writer Colm Tobin, who is familiar to Chinese readers, recently won the British David Cohen Literary Prize for 40,000 pounds. Upon learning of the award, Colm Tobin said: "When I was in London in 1993 at the David Cohen Prize ceremony, I couldn't imagine that one day my own writing would receive such an honor. Past winners have been artists I respect. I'm proud to be among them. ”
Colm Tobin (Photo by Wang Yin, Barcelona, 2013)
Established in 1993 and judged every two years, the David Cohen Prize is one of the most important literary awards in the UK, recognising British or Irish writers who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of fiction, poetry, prose, drama and more. The prize was won by the late British Jewish arts philanthropist David Cohen through his family's John. Sponsored by the S. Cohen Foundation, it is managed by the Arts Council of Great Britain. Among the winners of the years are V.S. Naipaul, Harold Pinter, William Trevor, Doris Lessing, Shemmers Heaney, Julian Barnes, Hillary Mantel and other famous writers.
Hermiona Lee, chair of the jury and professor of literature at oxford university, said Tobin was the unanimous choice of this year's judges. "I think he was a Renaissance man who could write anything, he wrote everything brilliantly: he was a novelist, a short story writer, a playwright, an essayist, a travel writer, a critic, a teacher, a journalist, a gay rights activist," she said. He imagines the lives and psychology of others with deep empathy and writing skills in his novels and short stories. He is a writer with deep insight, and he can also write with great humor and astonishing scale. He was a truly international man, a keen historian of our time, a writer who wrote very beautifully about loss, sorrow, silence and tranquility. He writes with the linguistic density of poets and the lyrical rhythms of musicians. I read none of his books. Each one is a revelation to me. He was one of the most important writers of his time. ”
It is reported that the Shanghai Translation Publishing House is working with Archipelago Books to publish a series of works by Colm Tobin, in addition to the already published "Famous Doors", "Masters", "Brooklyn", "Confessions of Mary" and the upcoming "Blackwater Lighthouse Ship", "Empty Home" and other works, next year will also launch Tobin's latest novel about German writer Thomas Mann, "The Magician".
"Famous Doors"
In his latest novel, The Gate of Fame, Tobin recounts in modern language the ancient Greek classic story of the death of Agamemnon, giving new life to the famous wicked woman of Greek mythology, Clyteignstra, so that we not only understand her desire for revenge, but even sympathize with her. Tobin brilliantly reveals her love, desire, and pain.
The Master
In "The Master", Tobin uses a sympathetic and gentle tone to show the cross-section of Henry James, the sensitive and susceptible heart of the master of psychological writing, which is the epitome of his lonely life in a foreign land. "Tobin brings us shocked closer to the soul of Henry James and, furthermore, to the secrets of art itself. This is an excellent and original book. Litzen Prize for Fiction winner Michael Cunningham said.
Brooklyn
"Brooklyn" is a story of wandering and return, love and loss, personal freedom and responsibility, quiet, delicate and gentle. Tobin created the unforgettable heroine, Alice Lacey, and also created an emotional masterpiece.
"Confessions of Mary"
Through the novel Confessions of Mary, Tobin directs his imagination to the most holy but mysterious mother and child, Mary and Jesus. Directly through the mouth of Mary, he made his voice to the Virgin, who has always appeared in the image of silence and gentleness. A full-character, unforgettable image of Mary, in Tobin's rich imagination and concise and powerful language portrayal, penetrates deep into the reader's heart.
Nandu reporter Zhu Rongting intern Tan Wanying