The Authors' Club Best First Novel Award is awarded by the

Authors' Club The Authors' Club is a British membership organisation established as a place where writers could meet and talk. It was founded by the novelist and critic Walter Besant in 1891. It is headquartered at the National Liberal Club. The Authors' ...

to the most promising

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

of the year, written by a British author and published in the UK during the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is presented. It has been awarded to the following: ''This list is incomplete'' *1954 - David Unwin - ''The Governor's Wife'' *1955 - Brian Moore - ''

Judith Hearne ''Judith Hearne'' (later republished as ''The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne''), was regarded by Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore as his first novel. The book was published in 1955 after Moore had left Ireland and was living in Canada. It wa ...

'' (later republished as ''The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne'') *1956 -

Harry Bloom Harry Saul Bloom (1 January 1913 – 28 July 1981) was a South African journalist, novelist, activist and lecturer. Early life and career Solomon Harris Bloom was born into a Jewish South African family. He was educated at the University of the W ...

- ''Episode'' *1957 - Edmund Ward - ''Summer in Retreat'' *1958 - Alan Sillitoe - ''

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author Alan Sillitoe and won the Author's Club First Novel Award. It was adapted by Sillitoe into a 1960 film starring Albert Finney, directed by Karel Reisz, and in 1964 wa ...

'' *1959 - David Caute - ''At Fever Pitch'' *1960 - Lionel Davidson - ''

The Night of Wenceslas ''The Night of Wenceslas'' is the debut novel of British thriller and crime writer Lionel Davidson. This Bildungsroman describes the reluctant adventures of Nicolas Whistler, a dissolute young man of mixed English and Czech parentage who finds ...

'' *1961 - Jim Hunter - ''The Sun in the Morning'' *1962 - John Pearson - ''Gone to Timbuctoo'' *1963 - David Rubin - ''The Greater Darkness'' *1964 -

Robin Douglas-Home Cecil Robin Douglas-Home (8 May 1932 – 15 October 1968) was a British aristocrat, jazz pianist and author. Life Robin Douglas-Home was the eldest son of the Honourable Henry Douglas-Home from his first marriage to Lady Margaret Spencer. His ...

- ''Hot for Certainties'' *1965 -

James Mossman James Mosman or Mossman (died 1573) was a Scottish goldsmith. He was a son of John Mosman, a goldsmith working in Edinburgh. It has been suggested that the Mosman family was of Jewish origin. He married Mariota Arres, and secondly in 1571, Jan ...

- ''Beggars on Horseback'' *1966 -

Leslie Thomas Leslie Thomas, OBE (22 March 1931 – 6 May 2014) was a Welsh author best known for his comic novel '' The Virgin Soldiers''. Early life Thomas was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was orphaned at the age of 12, when his mariner fat ...

- ''

The Virgin Soldiers ''The Virgin Soldiers'' is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army. It was Thomas' debut novel; he had previously published an autobiography. ''The Virgin Soldiers'' sold milli ...

'' *1967 - Paul Bailey - ''At the Jerusalem'' *1968 - Barry England - '' Figures in a Landscape'' *1969 -

Peter Tinniswood Peter Tinniswood (21 December 1936 – 9 January 2003) was an English radio and TV comedy scriptwriter, and author of a series of popular novels. He was born in Liverpool, but grew up above a dry cleaner's on Eastway in Sale, Cheshire. Early ca ...

- ''A Touch of Daniel'' *1970 -

Rachel Ingalls Rachel Holmes Ingalls (13 May 1940 – 6 March 2019) was an American-born author who had lived in the United Kingdom from 1965 onwards.Rosemary Hawley Jarman Rosemary Hawley Jarman (27 April 1935 – 17 March 2015) was an English novelist and writer of short stories. Her first novel in 1971 shed light on King Richard III of England. Life Jarman was born in Worcester. She was educated first at Saint M ...

- ''We Speak No Treason'' *1973 - Jennifer Johnston - ''The Captains and the Kings'' *1975 -

Sasha Moorsom Sacha, Sasha, Sascha, or ''variant'' may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alexander Coe * Sasha (German singer) (born 1972), born Sas ...

- ''A Lavender Trip'' *1977 -

Barbara Benson Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously ...

- ''The Underlings'' *1978 -

Katharine Gordon Katharine Elsie Bain Gordon ( Hogg, born 12 June 1915) was a British author who wrote eight romance novels from 1978 to 2001. For her debut novel, "The Emerald Peacock", she won in 1978 the Authors' Club First Novel Award, and in 1979 the Roman ...

- ''The Emerald Peacock'' *1979 - Martin Page - ''The Pilate Plot'' *1980 -

Dawn Lowe-Watson Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horiz ...

- ''The Good Morrow'' *1981 -

Anne Smith Anne or Ann Smith may refer to: People In arts and media *Anne Smith (silversmith) ( 1770s), English silversmith *Ann Eliza Smith (1819–1905), American author and patriot *Anne Mollegen Smith, American magazine editor and writer *Anne Smith ( 195 ...

- ''The Magic Glass'' *1982 - Frances Vernon - ''Privileged Children'' *1983 -

Katherine Moore Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

- ''Summer at the Haven'' *1984 - Frederick R. Hyde-Chambers - ''Lama: A Novel of Tibet'' *1985 - Magda Sweetland - ''Eightsome Reel'' *1986 - Helen Harris - ''Playing Fields in Winter'' *1987 - Peter Benson - ''The Levels'' *1988 -

Gilbert Adair Gilbert Adair (29 December 19448 December 2011) was a Scottish novelist, poet, film critic, and journalist.Stuart Jeffries and Ronald BerganObituary: Gilbert Adair ''The Guardian'', 9 December 2011. He was critically most famous for the "fien ...

- ''

The Holy Innocents The Holy Innocents may refer to: * The victims of the Biblical Massacre of the Innocents, and any of several artistic depictions of this massacre (e.g. by Giotto di Bondone) * The Holy Innocents (Adair novel), by Gilbert Adair ** The Dreamers (2 ...

'' *1989 -

Lindsey Davis Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and career ...

- '' The Silver Pigs'' *1990 - Alan Brownjohn - ''The Way You Tell Them'' *1991 - Zina Rohan - ''The Book of Wishes and Complaints'' *1992 - David Park - ''The Healing'' *1993 - Nadeem Aslam - ''Season of the Rainbirds'' *1994 -

Andrew Cowan Andrew Cowan (13 December 1936 – 15 October 2019) was a Scottish rally driver, and the founder and senior director of Mitsubishi Ralliart until his retirement on 30 November 2005. Early years Cowan was raised in Duns, a small town in the ...

- '' Pig'' *1995 - T. J. Armstrong - ''Walter and the Resurrection of G'' *1996 -

Diran Adebayo Oludiran "Diran" Adebayo FRSL (born 30 August 1968) is a British novelist, cultural critic and academic, best known for his tales of London and the lives of African diasporans. His work has been characterised by its interest in multiple cultural ...

- ''Some Kind of Black'' and

Rhidian Brook Rhidian Brook (born 1964) is a Welsh novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster. Biography Brook was born in Tenby in 1964. He attended Churcher's College in Hampshire, leaving in 1982. His first novel, ''The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones'' (HarperCol ...

- ''The Testimony of Taliesin Jones'' (shared) *1997 - Mick Jackson - '' The Underground Man'' *1998 -

Jackie Kay Jacqueline Margaret Kay, (born 9 November 1961), is a Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist, known for her works ''Other Lovers'' (1993), ''Trumpet'' (1998) and ''Red Dust Road'' (2011). Kay has won many awards, including the Guardian Fictio ...

- ''Trumpet'' *1999 - Ann Harries - ''Manly Pursuits'' *2000 - Brian Clarke - ''The Stream'' *2001 - Carl Tighe - ''Burning Worm'' *2002 -

Ben Facini Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

- ''The Water Breather'' *2003 -

Dan Rhodes Dan Rhodes (born 1972) is an English writer, possibly best known for the novel ''Timoleon Vieta Come Home'' (2003), a subversion of the popular '' Lassie Come Home'' movie. He is also the author of '' Anthropology'' (2000), a collection of 101 s ...

- ''

Timoleon Vieta Come Home ''Timoleon Vieta Come Home: A Sentimental Journey'' (2003) is a novel by British author Dan Rhodes, a parody of the classic '' Lassie Come Home'' film. It was Rhodes' first novel, and won the 2003 Author's Club First Novel Award. It has been tr ...

'' *2004 - Susan Fletcher - ''Eve Green'' and Neil Griffiths - ''Betrayal in Naples'' (shared) *2005 -

Henry Shukman Henry Shukman (born 1962 in Oxford, Oxfordshire) is an English poet and writer. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford. His father was the historian Harold Shukman and his brother is the BBC News reporter David Shukman. He is of Jewish an ...

- ''Sandstorm'' *2006 - Nicola Monaghan - '' The Killing Jar'' *2007 - Segun Afolabi - ''

Goodbye Lucille "Goodbye Lucille #1" is a song by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released as a single under the title "Johnny Johnny" by Kitchenware Records in January 1986. It was the final single taken from their album ''Steve McQueen''. The single failed ...

'' *2009 -

Laura Beatty Laura Mary Catherine Beatty (née Keen; born 1 May 1963) is a writer awarded the Authors' Club First Novel Award for her 2008 novel '' Pollard'', also shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize. She has also written two biographies, the first about Li ...

- '' Pollard'' *2010 -

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental ...

- ''The Rescue Man'' *2011 -

Jonathan Kemp Jonathan Kemp (born 18 March 1981 in Wolverhampton) is a professional squash player who represented England. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 20 in July 2010. References External links * * English male squash ...

- ''London Triptych'' *2012 - Kevin Barry - '' City of Bohane'' *2013 - Ros Barber - '' The Marlowe Papers'' and

I. J. Kay I is the ninth letter of the Latin alphabet. I or i may also refer to: Language * I (pronoun), the first-person singular subject pronoun in English * I (Cyrillic), a letter used in almost all ancient and modern Cyrillic alphabets * ı, dotless ...

- ''Mountains of the Moon'' *2014 - Jack Wolf - ''The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones'' *2015 - Carys Bray - ''A Song for Issy Bradley'' *2016 - Benjamin Johncock - ''The Last Pilot'' *2017 -

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan Rowan Hisayo Buchanan FRSL (born June 2, 1989) is a British-American writer. Her novels include ''Harmless Like You'', which received a Betty Trask Award and the 2017 Author's Club First Novel Award, and ''Starling Days''. She is the editor of '' ...

- ''Harmless Like You'' *2019 - Guy Gunaratne - ''In Our Mad and Furious City'' *2020 -

Claire Adam Claire Adam is a Trinidadian author whose first novel '' Golden Child'' triggered critical acclaim. On 5 November 2019, the ''BBC News'' listed ''Golden Child'' on its list of the 100 most influential novels. Biography Claire Adam was born in ...

{{Cite web, title=Best First Novel Award, url=https://www.authorsclub.co.uk/prizes/best-first-novel-award/, access-date=2021-05-18, website=The Authors' Club Since 1891, language=en-GB - ''

Golden Child Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucesters ...

'' *2021 - Ingrid Persaud - ''Love after Love'' *2022 - Tish Delaney - ''Before my Actual Heart Breaks''

References

First book awards English literary awards British fiction awards Awards established in 1954 1954 establishments in the United Kingdom