''The Elected Member'' is a novel by Welsh writer

Bernice Rubens Bernice Rubens (26 July 1923 – 13 October 2004) was a Welsh novelist.She became the first woman to win the Booker Prize in 1970, for '' The Elected Member''. Personal history Bernice Ruth Reuben was born in Splott, Cardiff on 26 July 19 ...

. It won the

Booker Prize for Fiction The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

in 1970.

Plot

The novel's main character is Norman Zweck, who is addicted to

amphetamines Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...

and is convinced that he sees silverfish wherever he goes.

Awards

''The Elected Member'' won the 1970 Booker Prize. This made Rubens the first woman (and as of 2021, the only Welsh author) to win the prize.

References

Review of ''The Elected Member'' from the Booker Blog 'The Guardian'
Booker Prize-winning works 1969 British novels Novels by Bernice Rubens Eyre & Spottiswoode books {{1970s-novel-stub