Kiwi short story writer wins in Sydney

Random House author Craig Cliff has won the Best First Book category of the Commonwealth Writers Prize for his 2010 collection of short stories, A Man Melting.

The award was announced in Sydney with the following press release:

'The judges chose this highly entertaining and thought provoking collection of short stories for their ambition, creativity and craftsmanship. Confidently blending ideas that frequently weave outlandish concepts with everyday incidents, the prose is skilfully peppered with social observations that define the world we live in. The eighteen short stories are truly insightful and amplify many of the absurdities around us, reflecting our own expectations, fears and paranoia on the big questions in life. This book is of the moment, and is rightly at home on a global platform. Cliff is a talent to watch and set to take the literary world by storm.

'Now in its 25th year and supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation, Commonwealth Writers' Prize is unique in offering both established and emerging writers the opportunity to showcase their work. The Best Book winner claims £10,000 while the writer of Best First Book wins £5,000.

'For the last 25 years the Commonwealth Writers' Prize has played a key role in unearthing new international literary names, bringing compelling stories of human experience to a wider audience. As highly acclaimed international authors Aminatta Forna (who won the main award for her book The Memory of Love) and Craig Cliff will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in modern fiction in winning the Prize, including Louis De Bernieres, Andrea Levy, Ian McEwan, and Zadie Smith.

'For the fifth consecutive year the Macquarie Group Foundation, one of Australia's leading philanthropic foundations, is helping to advance one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With Macquarie's support the prize has grown to reach more people around the world, encouraging wider reading across a range of Commonwealth cultures and rewarding the rising talent that other prizes often overlook.'

Congratulations to the very promising Craig Cliff. 

Spymouse whispers that he is now mentoring at the highly successful school of creative writing at Victoria University, which was founded by Bill Manhire, and is also working on a novel with a maritime theme.