Alys Conran’s Pigeon was announced as winner of Wales Book of the Year 2017 (English Language) at a ceremony at Cardiff’s Tramshed last night. Conran made a clean-sweep in the fiction, People’s Choice Award, and the overall Wales Book of the Year Award, following on from recent years when short story writer Thomas Morris and poet Rhian Edwards who also won all three.
Also winning in the English language categories were John Freeman in poetry, and Peter Lord in creative non-fiction.
Idris Reynolds won the overall prize in the Welsh language for his book Cofio, Dic, while Aneirin Karadog won in the poetry category and Caryl Lewis added to her three trophies from last year’s awards for her novel Y Gwreiddyn.
English language winners and runners-ups
The Roland Mathias Poetry Award
Winner – What Possessed Me by John Freeman
The Other City by Rhiannon Hooson
Psalmody by Maria Apichella
The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award
Winner – Pigeon by Alys Conran
Cove by Cynan Jones
Ritual, 1969 by Jo Mazelis
The Creative Non-Fiction Award
Winner – The Tradition by Peter Lord
Jumpin’ Jack Flash by Keiron Pim
The Black Prince of Florence by Catherine Fletcher
Welsh language winners and runners-up shortlist
Poetry Award
Winner – Bylchau by Aneirin Karadog
Chwilio am Dan by Elis Dafydd
Llinynnau by Aled Lewis Evans
Fiction Award
Winner – Y Gwreiddyn by Caryl Lewis
Ymbelydredd by Guto Dafydd
Iddew by Dyfed Edwards
Creative Non-Fiction Award
Winner – Cofio Dic, Idris Reynolds
Gwenallt by Alan Llwyd
Optimist Absoliwt by Menna Elfyn
