The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses is an annual British

literary prize A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award ...

founded by the author Neil Griffiths. It rewards fiction published by UK and Irish small presses, defined as those with fewer than five full-time employees. The prize money – initially raised by crowdfunding and latterly augmented by sponsorship – is divided between the publishing house and the author.

Winners, shortlists and longlists

2017

The shortlist for the 2017 award was announced on 11 January 2017. The winner was announced on 9 March 2017. *Winner: John Keene, ''Counternarratives'' (Fitzcarraldo Editions) *

Elnathan John Elnathan John (born 1982) is a Nigerian novelist, satirist and lawyer whose stories have twice been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing. Career Elnathan John was born in Kaduna, in north-west Nigeria, in 1982. He attended Ahmad ...

, '' Born on a Tuesday'' (

Cassava Republic Press Cassava Republic Press is a steering African book publishing company established in Nigeria in 2006 and headed by Bibi Bakare-Yusuf,

) * Mike McCormack, ''

Solar Bones ''Solar Bones'' is a 2016 novel by Irish fiction writer Mike McCormack. The novel's plot revolves around Marcus Conway, a deceased middle-aged engineer who has returned on All Souls' Day, and is reminiscing about his past life's events while si ...

'' (Tramp Press) *KJ Orr, ''Light Box'' (Daunt Books) * Anakana Schofield, ''Martin John'' (And Other Stories) *Paul Stanbridge, ''Forbidden Line'' (Galley Beggar Press) * Diane Williams, ''Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine'' (CB Editions) *Lara Williams, ''Treats'' (Freight Books) Runners-up prizes were awarded to ''Martin John'' and ''Solar Bones''; a Best First Novel prize for "Surfeit of Multitudinous Energy" was awarded to ''Forbidden Line''. The following books were also longlisted for the prize: *Kate Armstrong, ''The Storyteller'' (Holland House) *

Marcia Douglas Marcia Douglas is a novelist, poet, and performer. Life and education Douglas was born in the United Kingdom to Jamaican parents. Her family returned to Jamaica when Douglas was six, and she grew up in Kingston. Douglas received an MFA in cre ...

, '' The Marvellous Equations of the Dread'' (Peepal Tree Press) *Mia Gallagher, ''Beautiful Pictures of a Lost Homeland'' (

New Island Books New Island Books is an independent Irish publisher of literary fiction, poetry, drama, biography, and books on politics and social affairs. History It was founded as ''Raven Arts Press'' in 1977 by Dermot Bolger. In 1982, Raven Arts closed and w ...

) *Seraphina Madsen, ''Dodge and Burn'' (Dodo Ink) *Sally O’Reilly, ''Crude'' (Eros) *

Faruk Šehić Faruk Šehić (born 1970) is a Bosnian poet, novelist and short story writer. He was born in Bihać and grew up in Bosanska Krupa. He studied veterinary medicine in Zagreb until the outbreak of the Bosnian war in which he was an active combatant. ...

, ''Quiet Flows the Una'', translated by Will Firth (Istros Books) * Linda Stift, ''The Empress and the Cake'', translated by Jamie Bolloch (Peirene Press) *Chris Wilson, ''Glue Ponys'' (Tangerine Press)

2018

The shortlist for the 2018 award was announced on 19 February 2018. The winner was announced on 20 March 2018. *Winner: Eley Williams, ''Attrib. and Other Stories'' (

Influx Press Influx Press is an independent British publishing company, based in north London, founded in 2012 by Gary Budden and Kit Caless. They are known for publishing "innovative and challenging fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction from across the UK ...

) *

Ariana Harwicz Ariana Harwicz (Buenos Aires, 1977) is an Argentine writer, screenwriter, playwright and documentary maker. She earned a degree in performing arts from the University of Paris VII and a Master's in comparative literature from the Sorbonne. Her firs ...

, ''Die, My Love'', translated by Sarah Moses and Carolina Orloff (Charco Press) *David Hayden, ''Darker with the Lights On'' (Little Island Press) *Noémi Lefebvre, ''Blue Self-Portrait'', translated by Sophie Lewis (Les Fugitives) *

Preti Taneja Preti Taneja is a British writer, screenwriter and educator. She is currently professor of world literature and creative writing at Newcastle University. Her first novel, ''We That Are Young'', won the Desmond Elliott Prize and was shortlisted for ...

, ''We That Are Young'' (Galley Beggar Press) *

Isabel Waidner Isabel Waidner (born 1974) is a German-British writer, musician, and cultural theorist based in London. They have written three novels, ''Gaudy Bauble'' (2017, Dostoyevsky Wannabe), ''We are Made of Diamond Stuff'' (2019, Dostoyevsky Wannabe), an ...

, ''Gaudy Bauble'' (Dostoyevsky Wannabe) The following books were also longlisted for the prize: *

Patty Yumi Cottrell Patrick Cottrell (born Patty Yumi Cottrell, 1981) is an American writer. He is the author of ''Sorry to Disrupt the Peace'' and the winner of a 2018 Whiting Award. He teaches at the University of Denver. Biography Cottrell was born in South Kor ...

, ''Sorry to Disrupt the Peace'' (

And Other Stories And Other Stories is an independent British book publisher founded in 2009, notable for being the first UK publisher of literary fiction to make direct, advance subscriptions a major part of its business model as well as for its use of foreign l ...

) *Kevin Davey, ''Playing Possum'' (Aaaargh! Press) *

Mathias Enard Mathias, a given name and a surname which is a variant of Matthew (name), may refer to: Places * Mathias, West Virginia * Mathias Township, Michigan People with the given name or surname ''Mathias'' In music * Mathias Eick, Norwegian Jazz Musicia ...

, ''Compass'', translated by Charlotte Mandell (Fitzcarraldo Editions) *

Arja Kajermo Arja Kajermo is a cartoonist, born in Finland, raised in Sweden, currently residing in Ireland. Kajermo was born in Kiuruvesi, Northern Savonia, where her family had a small farm. They moved to Stockholm in 1955 when she was six years old. Kajerm ...

, ''The Iron Age'' (Tramp Press) *

Ben Myers Benjamin Myers (born January 1976) is an English writer and journalist. Early life Myers grew up in Belmont, County Durham, and was a pupil at the estate's local comprehensive school where he become interested in reading and skateboarding. My ...

, ''The Gallows Pole'' (Bluemoose Books) *Simon Okotie, ''In the Absence of Absalon'' (

Salt Publishing Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...

) *Jack Robinson, ''An Overcoat'' (CB Editions) A special prize was awarded to Charles Boyle both publisher, as CB Editions, and, under the pseudonym Jack Robinson, author of ''An Overcoat'': "The William Gass award for metafiction and for being the best person in publishing, like ever."

2019

The shortlist for the 2019 award was announced on 2 March 2019. The joint winners were announced on 28 March 2019. *Winner: Will Eaves, ''Murmur'' (CB Editions) *Winner:

Alex Pheby Alex Pheby (born 1970) is a British author and academic. He is currently a professor at Newcastle University and lives in Scotland. He studied at Manchester University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Goldsmiths. and UEA. Career Pheby' ...

, ''Lucia'' (Galley Beggar Press) *

Daša Drndić Daša Drndić (10 August 1946 – 5 June 2018) was a Croatian writer. She studied English language and literature at the University of Belgrade.The Stinging Fly ''The Stinging Fly'' is a literary magazine published in Ireland, featuring short stories, essays, and poetry. It publishes two issues each year. In 2005, ''The Stinging Fly'' moved into book publishing with the establishment of The Stinging Fl ...

) *

Anthony Joseph Anthony Joseph (born 12 November 1966 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) is a British/Trinidadian poet, novelist, musician and academic. Biography Joseph was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, where he was raised by his grandparents. He b ...

, ''Kitch: A Fictional Biography of a Calypso Icon'' (Peepal Tree Press) *Chris McCabe, ''Dedalus'' (Henningham Family Press) The following books were also longlisted for the prize: * Jean Frémon, ''Now, Now, Louison'', translated by

Cole Swensen Cole Swensen (born 1955, in Kentfield, California) is an American poet, translator, editor, copywriter, and professor. Swensen was awarded a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship and is the author of more than ten poetry collections and as many translation ...

(Les Fugitives) * Julián Fuks, ''Resistance'', translated by

Daniel Hahn Daniel Hahn (born 26 November 1973) is a British writer, editor and translator. He is the author of a number of works of non-fiction, including the history book ''The Tower Menagerie'', and one of the editors of The Ultimate Book Guide, a ser ...

(Charco Press) *Nora Ikstena, ''Soviet Milk'', translated by Margita Gailitis (

Peirene Press Peirene Press is an independent publishing house based in London. Established by novelist and publisher Meike Ziervogel, Peirene is primarily focused on bringing out high-quality English translations of contemporary European short novels. Peiren ...

) *

Gabriel Josipovici Gabriel David Josipovici ( ; born 8 October 1940) is a British novelist, short story writer, critic, literary theorist, and playwright. He is an Emeritus professor, after having been Professor at the University of Sussex. Biography He was born ...

, ''The Cemetery in Barnes'' (

Carcanet Press Carcanet Press is a publisher, primarily of poetry, based in the United Kingdom and founded in 1969 by Michael Schmidt. In 2000 it was named the '' Sunday Times'' millennium Small Publisher of the Year. History ''Carcanet'' was originally a li ...

) *Sophie van Llewyn, ''Bottled Goods'' (Fairlight Books) *Sue Rainsford, ''Follow Me to Ground'' (

) *Nicholas John Turner, ''Hang Him When He Is Not There'' (Splice)

2020

The shortlist for the 2020 award was announced on 26 February 2020. The Winner was announced on 30 March 2020. * Winner:

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo Jean-Baptiste Garcia (born 25 November 1981), known by the pen name Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, is a French writer. He was born in Toulouse. Selected works * ''Ne rien faire et autres nouvelles'' (2006). * ''Une éducation libertine'' (2008). ''A Libe ...

, ''Animalia'', translated by

Frank Wynne Frank Wynne (born 1962) is an Irish literary translator and writer. Born in County Sligo in the west of Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine ''Deadline''. He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a l ...

(Fitzcarraldo Editions) *

Toby Litt Toby Litt is an English writer and academic in the Department of English and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London. Life Litt was born in Ampthill in 1968. He was educated at Bedford Modern School, read English at Worcester College, Oxfor ...

, ''Patience'' (Galley Beggar Press) * Hanne Ørstavik, ''Love'', translated by Martin Aitken (

) *

Minoli Salgado Minoli Salgado is a Sri Lankan writer and academic based in the United Kingdom who was born in Malaysia and educated mainly in England. She has written extensively on migrant studies and diasporic literature and is the author of the critically acc ...

, ''Broken Jaw'' (The 87 Press) *

, ''We Are Made of Diamond Stuff'' (Dostoyevsky Wannabe) The following books were also longlisted for the prize: *Mara Coson, ''Aliasing'' (Book Works) * Sarah Henstra, '' The Red Word'' (Tramp Press) * Rónán Hession, ''Leonard and Hungry Paul'' (Bluemoose Books) *Caleb Klaces, ''Fatherhood'' (Prototype Publishing) *Melissa Lee-Houghton, ''That Lonesome Valley'' (Morbid Books) *

Juan Rulfo Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo ( ; 16 May 1917 – 7 January 1986), was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel ''Pedro Páramo'', and th ...

, ''El Llano in flames'', translated by Stephen Beechinor ( Structo Press) *

, ''Under Pressure'', translated by Mirza Purić (

Istros Books Istros books is a London-based independent publisher of writers from South-East Europe and the Balkans, in English translation. It was set up in 2011 by Susan Curtis. Publications Notable publications include: *''Doppelgänger'' by Daša Drndić ...

)

2021

The shortlist for the 2021 prize was announced on 26 March 2021. The winner was announced on 19 May 2021. * Winner: Shola von Reinhold, ''Lote'' (

Jacaranda Books Jacaranda Books is a diversity-led British independent book publishing firm launched in 2012 and known for their effort tackling the gap between white authors and the BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) demographic in United Kingdom's p ...

) *

Lynne Tillman Lynne Tillman (born January 1, 1947) is a novelist, short story writer, and cultural critic. She is currently Professor/Writer-in-Residence in the Department of English at the University at Albany and teaches at the School of Visual Arts' Art Cri ...

, ''Men and Apparitions'' (Peninsula Press) *

Monique Roffey Monique Roffey (born 1965) is a Trinidadian-born British writer and memoirist. Her novels have been much acclaimed, winning awards including the 2013 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, for ''Archipelago'', and the Costa Book of the Y ...

, '' The Mermaid of Black Conch'' (

Peepal Tree Press Peepal Tree Press is a publisher based in Leeds, England which publishes Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and academic books. It was founded after a paper shortage in Guyana halted production of new bo ...

) *

Luis Sagasti Luis Sagasti (born 1963) is an Argentine writer and art critic. He was born in Bahía Blanca Bahía Blanca (; English: White Bay) is a city in the southwest of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the seat of go ...

, ''A Musical Offering'', translated by Fionn Petch (Charco Press) *

Doireann Ní Ghríofa Doireann Ní Ghríofa is an Irish poet and essayist who writes in both Irish and English. Biography Doireann Ní Ghríofa was born in Galway in 1981, but grew up in County Clare. She now lives in County Cork. Ní Ghríofa has been published wi ...

, ''A Ghost in the Throat'' (

Tramp Press Tramp Press is a publishing company founded in Dublin in 2014 by Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis-Goff. It is an independent publisher that specialises in Irish fiction. The company is named after John Millington Synge's tramp, a reference to the bold ...

) The following books were also longlisted for the prize. *Katharina Volckmer, ''The Appointment'' (

Fitzcarraldo Editions Fitzcarraldo Editions is an independent book publisher based in London, specialising in literary fiction and long-form essays. History Founded in 2014 by Jacques Testard, it focuses on ambitious, imaginative, and innovative writing, both in ...

) *

, '' Mordew'' (Galley Beggar Press) * Paul Griffiths, ''Mr Beethoven'' (Henningham Family Press) *Huw Lemmey and

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

, ''Unknown Language'' (Ignota Books) * Alhierd Bacharevic, ''Alindarka’s Children'', translated by Jim Dingley & Petra Reid (Scotland Street Press)

2022

The shortlist for the 2022 prize was announced on 27 March 2022. The winner was announced on 11 May 2022. * Winner: Norman Erikson Pasaribu, ''Happy Stories, Mostly,'' translated by Tiffany Tsao (Tilted Axis Press) * Vanessa Onwuemezi, ''Dark Neighbourhood'' (

) *

Scholastique Mukasonga Scholastique Mukasonga (born 1956) is a French- Rwandan author born in the former Gikongoro province of Rwanda. In 2012, She won the prix Renaudot and the prix Ahmadou-Kourouma for her book '' Our Lady of the Nile.'' In addition to being a fi ...

, '' Our Lady of the Nile'', translated by Melanie Mauthner (Daunt Books) * Montserrat Roig, ''The Song of Youth'', translated by Tiago Miller (Fum D'Estampa Press) *

, ''Sterling Karat Gold'' (Peninsula Press) The following books were also longlisted for the prize: * Ryan Dennis, ''The Beasts They Turned Away'' (Epoque Press) *

Mona Arshi Mona Arshi is a British poet. She won the Forward Prize, Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection in 2015 for her work ''Small Hands''. Biography Arshi was educated at Lampton Comprehensive School and grew up in Hounslow with Sikh Punjabi ...

, ''Somebody Loves You'' (

) * Badr Ahmad, ''Five Days Untold'', translated by Christiaan James (Dar Arab) * Jonas Eika, ''After the Sun'', translated by Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg (Lolli Editions)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Awards established in 2017 British literary awards