Lost for words
Each of the judges of the Elysian Prize for literature has a reason for accepting the job. For the chairman, MP Malcolm Craig, it is backbench boredom, media personality Jo Cross is on the hunt for a relevant novel, and Oxbridge academic Vanessa Shaw is determined to discover good writing. But for Penny Feather of the Foreign Office, it's all just getting in the way of writing her own thriller. Over the next few weeks they must read hundreds of submissions to find the best book of the year, and so the judges spar, cajole and bargain in order that their chosen title gets the recognition it deserves
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'Hilarious, elegant and written with effortless insight' Guardian
Each of the judges of the Elysian Prize for literature has a reason for accepting the job: the bored politician, the media personality, the Oxbridge academic and the civil servant with literary ambitions of her own. Meanwhile, a host of authors are desperate for Elysian glory, including serial heart-breaker Katherine Burns, lovelorn existentialist Sam Black, and Sonny, convinced that his magnum opus, The Mulberry Elephant, will take the literary world by storm.
Thought-provoking and endlessly entertaining, Lost for Words cuts to the quick of some of the deepest questions about the place of art in our celebrity-obsessed culture, wondering how we can ever hope to recognize real talent when everyone has an agenda.
'A long-overdue, laugh-out-loud satire on the whole business of literary prizes' Evening Standard
'Shot through with moments of profundity and grace' Irish Times
'Fun, black and brilliant stuff' The Times