Talbots scoop Costa Award for "Dotter of Her Father's Eyes"

Mary Talbot's Dotter of Her Father's Eyes has won the biography section in the 2012 Costa Book Awards.

Drawn by husband Bryan Talbot, the award has delighted the couple, who The Guardian reports have known about their win for some time but had to keep quiet about it.

While this is not the first graphic work to win a major literary prize – Art Spiegelman's Maus won a Pulitzer in 1992 and Chris Ware won the Guardian first book prize in 2001 for Jimmy Corrigan: the Smartest Kid on Earth –  the Costa Award is still a significant moment for the graphic medium and 2012 marks the first time comics have featured in the Costa nominations (see news story).

"It is a good thing for graphic novels as a whole,"  Bryan Talbot told the Guardian, whose works include The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, The Tale of One Bad Rat and Alice in Sunderland. "Graphic novels are becoming increasingly accepted as a legitimate art form."


Dotter of Her Father's Eyes tells the story of James Joyce's tragic daughter Lucia, who spent the last 30 years of her life in a mental institution. Into that tale, Mary Talbot has woven the story of her own troubled relationship with her father, the eminent Joycean scholar James S Atherton.

In other categories, Hilary Mantel won the novel award for Bring Up the Bodies; Francesca Segal won first novel for The Innocents; Kathleen Jamie's The Overhaul came first in poetry, and Sally Gardner's Maggot Moon was named children's book of the year.

Among the nominations this year were Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart while artist and writer Dave Shelton, who writes and draws Good Dog, Bad Dog, for both The DFC and Phoenix was shortlisted in the Children's Book category with his novel A Boy And A Bear In A Boat (see news story).

• Costa Book Awards: www.costabookawards.com 

Costa Award Nomination For Dave Shelton

When the shortlists for the Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread Book Awards) were announced complete with their two graphic novels, Dotter Of Her Father's Eyes by Bryan and Mary Talbot and Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart, there was a flurry of activity on the various comics blogs over that good news. So much so that one other comics name barely got mentioned.

 

Artist and writer Dave Shelton, who writes and draws Good Dog, Bad Dog, for both The DFC and Phoenix has been shortlisted in the Children's Book category with his novel A Boy And A Bear In A Boat. 

Published by David Fickling Books, who also published the compilation of Good Dog, Bad Dog under The DFC Library imprint, A Boy And A Bear In A Boat is about a boy and a bear in, err, a boat. The pair get to know each other as the bear rows the boat and the boy investigates its contents. The unusual cover, illustrated by Dave who also provided all the black and white interior illustrations, shows the nautical map that the pair use on their journey. "This enchanting story has the feel of a classic children's tale," was how the Costa judges described the book.

 

In addition to being shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award, A Boy And A Bear On A Boat is also on the long list for both the Carnegie Medal for outstanding book for children and young people, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people. Both medals are are voted on by CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

 

Our congratulations to Dave Shelton for making all these listings with his first novel and we wish him, the Drs Talbot, and Joff Winterhart, good luck for the announcement of the Costa Book Awards winners on Thursday 3 January 2013.

 

There are more details of Dave Shelton's work on his website.

 

There are more details of A Boy And A Bear In A Boat on the David Fickling Books website.

 

There are more details of all the nominees for the 2012 Costa Book Awards at the awards website.

Comics make the Costa Book Awards for first time

(Updated): Two graphic novels - Dotter of Her Father's Eyes by Mary and Bryan Talbot and Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart - feature in the short list for this year's Costa Book Awards - considered one of the UK's most prestigious book awards.

While there are many dedicated comic industry awards, this is, the Guardian notes, something of a literary milestone, as they are the first graphic works to be shortlisted for a Costa (formerly the Whitbreads) which "unashamedly celebrate and reward enjoyability in five sections.

"While it might be a surprise to some, there will be many who feel there should be more mainstream recognition for graphic work," the paper reports, and Bryan Talbot agrees. "I think it's a big thing for the comic medium generally," he says. "It is another instance of the growing acceptability of comics as a valid artform."

The well-received Dotter of Her Father's Eyes tells the story of James Joyce's tragic daughter Lucia, who spent the last 30 years of her life in a mental institution. Into that tale, Mary Talbot has woven the story of her own troubled relationship with her father, the eminent Joycean scholar James S Atherton.

Told in both monochromatic and colored styles, the story shows two very different people, combined in a way that is unique all on its own, the book received major praise for its take on gender politics on its debut and was rated one of the best graphic novels of the year by Publisher’s Weekly.

In Joff Winterhart's funny graphic novel, Days of the Bagnold Summer, Sue, 52, works in a library. Daniel, 15, is still at school. This was the summer holidays Daniel was due to spend with his father and his father's pregnant new wife in Florida. When they cancel his trip, Sue and Daniel face six long weeks together...

Already well-known for his animated films like Violet and Turquoise, Joff Winterhart here shows himself to be a comics author of extraordinary talent.

On release, review site BookMunch described it as the most enthralling graphic novel debut of the year.

"Days of the Bagnold Summer is a book that will make you chuckle and ponder," their reviewer enthused. "Chuckling and pondering are no bad things. It is also a book that will work on you and draw you back for another re-read, another chuckle, another ponder. From start to finish, it’s a pleasure of a peculiar kind. Joff Winterhart is a writer we will be keeping a close eye on in the future. He is also a writer that we think you graphic novel types should be hurrying to check out.

Talking about the nomination in the Guardian yesterday, Bryan Talbot said many people tended to view comics as a genre rather than a medium, whereas "they can tell any sort of story". He said some tended to not think beyond Superman.

"People don't seem to realise there's a whole range of quality material out there which is worth any intelligent person's time to read."

Shortlisted for his first full-length book 38-year-old Winterhart, who drums in a band despite having only one hand, told the Guardian he was extremely surprised by the nomination. "It doesn't feel like a novel, it's got pictures in it!

"I didn't know it had enough words to constitute a novel," he continued. "Some graphic novels are quite epic and very cinematic in scope and mine is incredibly not like that."

Author Wendy Holden, one of the category's three judges, said it was funny, thought-provoking and "sniff-makingly sad". She added: "Anyone with a teenager in the family, or anticipating having one in the future, should read it. It's not only hilarious and brilliant but deals with real life, as people really live it, which alone sets it apart from many works of fiction today."

She said graphic novels were "undeservedly underrated" and Winterhart's book was a jewel in the genre.

For the hotly contested Children's Book Award shortlist, the debut illustrator and author Dave Shelton stands alongside former Whitbread Children’s Novel Award winner Diana Hendry, as well as dyslexia campaigner Sally Gardner, and teen fiction writer, Hayley Long.

You can read about Waterstones’ own Sarah Clarke and experiences on the judging panel of the Children’s Book Award here.


The winners of the Costas will be announced on 2nd January 2013. The final five will then be in competition for the overall £30,000 prize as Costa book of the year on 29th January.