Paul Murray, an Irish author, has won the Nero Gold Prize Book of the Year for his fourth novel, The Bee Sting. The book depicts the impact of the post-2008 Irish banking crisis on a middle-class Irish family and showcases Murray’s talents as a gifted storyteller. This year’s Nero awards, which are open to any writer residing in the UK or Ireland, saw Paul Murray receive a cash prize of £30,000.
Bernardine Evaristo, a former Booker Prize winner and chair of judges, praised Murray’s “ambitious and entrancing novel”, calling it “supremely gifted storytelling”. Evaristo also described the book as “epic and intimate in scale”, which was written “with great wit and humanity”. She was joined on the judging panel by Susie Dent, who is known for appearing in “dictionary corner” on Channel 4’s Countdown, and BBC journalist James Naughtie.
Murray was inspired by Brexit and the pandemic in addition to the Irish banking crisis, resulting in a novel that is both accomplished and highly readable. The Bee Sting won the fiction category of the Nero awards before being declared the overall winner. The Swifts by Beth Lincoln and illustrated by Claire Powell won the award in the children’s fiction category, while Michael Magee’s Close to Home won the debut fiction category and Fern Brady’s Strong Female Character won the non-fiction category.
Launched in 2023 by a coffee shop, the Nero awards were created a year following Costa Coffee’s decision to end its sponsorship of the literary prize. The Bee Sting was also nominated for last year’s Booker Prize, although fellow Irish author Paul Lynch won the prize for his novel, Prophet Song
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More