Bryan Washington has won the £30,000 Dylan Thomas Prize.
Bryan Washington, one of this year’s 5 Under 35 honorees and rising literary star of Houston, was just awarded the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for his debut short story collection, Lot.
The Dylan Thomas Prize, now in its fifteenth year, is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary awards, and the largest for young writers (that means age 39 and under).
The judging panel chair, Dai Smith, said of the award-winning collection:
Bryan Washington’s collection of short stories, Lot, does what all great fiction does, finds a style that can open up a world that is otherwise unknowable and he does it with wit and grace. It is a real voice, unique, unforgettable, generous, and warm and one which provides us with a sense of community and the full experience of life. As one of the judges said he has a country and western kickass voice.
(President Obama would most likely be pleased with this choice, since the collection was one of his favorite books of 2019.)
Deep Dive:
Read one of Bryan Washington’s stories here.
Check out the other fantastic finalists here.
