February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — The international IMPAC literature award — the world’s richest prize for a single work of fiction — has been won by British author Andrew Miller.
Miller, 39, won the _100,000 award for his first novel, “Ingenious Pain.”
The Bristol-born author, who now lives in Paris, has just published his second novel, “Casanova.” The Oscar-winning Eric Abrahams at Portobello Films has optioned it.
“Ingenious Pain” tells the story of the rise, fall and redemption of James Dyer, an 18th century British West Country surgeon who is unable to feel physical or emotional pain.
The judges said the book “conveys the authority of myth while addressing one of the major moral issues of our time — the clash between the constraints of compassion and the ruthless modern pursuit of efficiency.”
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The award will be presented by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin on June 12.
An international jury chose the winner from a shortlist of eight finalists from Germany, Britain, America and Japan.
The award is unique in that original nominations are made by libraries in 100 cities in 50 countries. Dublin Corporation’s library department administers the process.
The award was established in 1996 when IMPAC (Improved Management Profitability and Control), a U.S.-headquartered management consultancy company, committed _2 million to set up the prize fund.
The winners in the past have been Australian writer David Malouf for “Remembering Babylon,” Spanish novelist Javier Marias for “A Heart So White,” and Romanian writer Herta Muller for “The Land of Green Plums.”
May 26-June 1, 1999