The Importance of Literary Prizes

Even McBride was a... Even McBride was the first one, was that one. With this extraordinary and to some people rubarbitively unreadable, Joyceian experiment, a girl is a half-form thing. And then there was the Foliow Prize, which was launched the following year, with the explicit aim of rewarding excellence in fiction. But again, that's a question-megging definition, and it's not sure how we would define it. There's also obviously the Not For Booker Prize, which is more explicitly set against the Booker Prize. I don't think I quite realise quite what a huge impact even being shortlisted has on an author's career.