Congratulations to Rawi Hage and his novel De Niro's Game for winning one of the richest literary awards - the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, whose longlist comes from nominations by libraries around the world. (Hage's novel was originally championed by the Winnipeg Public Library). You can read more about the award, the shortlist and the longlist (great reading recommendations) at the IMPAC website. Here's a bit from the judges's citation:
Hage offers an explosive plot that is also effective as a meditation on war and its psychological cost. There is no easy resolution, no redemptive ending in this visceral account. There is, however, an uplifting and original lyricism to the writing, one where Hage’s imaginative flair fuses the present horror into passages of poetic intensity. The cadences of the Old Testament are there, as are angry Ginsbergian litanies as well as strong European echoes, especially of Camus’ The Outsider. Remarkably, a dark but rich sense of humour also surfaces in the narrator’s self-deprecating reflections.
Another book to add to the bedside table. . .
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