The Women’s Prize Trust, a leading UK charity focused on advancing women’s voices in literature and beyond, has unveiled the winners of its 2024 awards in both fiction and non-fiction categories. At a grand ceremony in Bedford Square Gardens, London, chaired by the organisation’s founder, Kate Mosse CBE, notable achievements in literature were celebrated with the announcement of the winners.
Who were the 2024 Women’s Prize winners?
American author V. V. Ganeshananthan clinched the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction with her compelling novel “Brotherless Night“. The book, which portrays the turbulent lives of a family during the Sri Lankan civil war, has been recognized for its profound narrative and emotional depth.
“Her commitment to complexity and clear-eyed moral scrutiny combines with spellbinding storytelling to render Brotherless Night a masterpiece of historical fiction.”
Monica Ali, Women’s Prize Fiction Judge Chair
“Brotherless Night is a brilliant, compelling and deeply moving novel that bears witness to the intimate and epic-scale tragedies of the Sri Lankan civil war,” commented Monica Ali, Chair of the Fiction Judges. Ganeshananthan, whose debut novel was also acknowledged by the Women’s Prize in 2009, receives a £30,000 prize and the “Bessie”, a bronze statuette.
Read: Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 shortlist explores depth of human experiences
In the non-fiction field, Canadian author Naomi Klein was awarded the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction for her book “Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World“. This timely work delves into the polarized nature of contemporary society exacerbated by social media. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, Chair of the Non-Fiction Judges, praised the book for its insightful critique and optimistic vision.
“This brilliant and layered analysis demonstrates humour, insight and expertise.”
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, Women’s Prize Non-FicTION Judges Chair
Lipscomb said: “Klein’s writing is both deeply personal and impressively expansive. Doppelganger is a courageous, humane and optimistic call-to-arms that moves us beyond black and white, beyond Right and Left, inviting us instead to embrace the spaces in between.”
Read: Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist showcases groundbreaking voices
Klein’s prize includes £30,000 and a limited-edition artwork named “Charlotte”.
Both prizes aim to spotlight the voices of women writers and their unique perspectives on society’s pressing issues, from historical conflicts to modern-day polarisation.
[…] Klein, the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction winner, criticised Baillie Gifford this week, calling them “thin-skinned” for putting literary […]