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' C ...
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 p ...
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.
Winner
{, class="wikitable sortable"
, +Award recipients
! Year
!Author!! Title !!
, -
! 1954
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1955
, , , ''
Judith Hearne
''Judith Hearne'' (later republished as ''The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne'' after the film of that name, based on the novel), was regarded by Northern Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore as his first novel. The book was published in 1955 aft ...
'', ,
, -
! 1956
, , , ''Episode'', ,
, -
! 1957
, , , ''Summer in Retreat'', ,
, -
! 1958
, , , ''
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author Alan Sillitoe and won the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.
It was adapted by Sillitoe into the 1960 film of the same name starring Albert Finney, directed by ...
'', ,
, -
! 1959
, , , ''At Fever Pitch'', ,
, -
! 1960
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1961
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1962
, , , ''Gone to Timbuctoo'', ,
, -
! 1963
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1964
, , , ''Hot for Certainties'', ,
, -
! 1965
, , , ''Beggars on Horseback'', ,
, -
! 1966
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1967
, , , ''At the Jerusalem'', ,
, -
! 1968
, , , ''
Figures in a Landscape
''Figures in a Landscape'' was Barry England's first novel. Published by Jonathan Cape in the summer of 1968, it was hailed by critics as an exemplary addition to the literature of escape. Two professional soldiers, Ansell and MacConnachie, hav ...
'', ,
, -
! 1969
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1970
, , , ''Theft'', ,
, -
! 1971
, , , ''We Speak No Treason'', ,
, -
! 1973
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1975
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1977
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1978
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1979
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1980
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1981
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1982
, , , ''Privileged Children'', ,
, -
! 1983
, , , ''Summer at the Haven'', ,
, -
! 1984
, , , ''Lama: A Novel of Tibet'', ,
, -
! 1985
, , , ''Eightsome Reel'', ,
, -
! 1986
, , , ''Playing Fields in Winter'', ,
, -
! 1987
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1988
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1989
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1990
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1991
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1992
, , , ', ,
, -
! 1993
, , , ''Season of the Rainbirds'', ,
, -
! 1994
, , ,
''Pig'', ,
, -
! 1995
, , , ''Walter and the Resurrection of G'', ,
, -
! rowspan="2" , 1996
, , , ''Some Kind of Black'' , ,
, -
,
, '
,
, -
! 1997
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 1998
, , , ''Trumpet'' , ,
, -
! 1999
, , , ''Manly Pursuits'' , ,
, -
! 2000
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2001
, , , ''Burning Worm'' , ,
, -
! 2002
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2003
, , , ''
Timoleon Vieta Come Home'' , ,
, -
! 2004
, , , ''Eve Green'' , ,
, -
!2004
,
, ''Betrayal in Naples''
,
, -
! 2005
, , , ''Sandstorm'' , ,
, -
! 2006
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2007
, , , ''Goodbye Lucille'' , ,
, -
! 2009
, , ,
''Pollard'' , ,
, -
! 2010
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2011
, , , ''London Triptych'' , ,
, -
! 2012
, , , ''
City of Bohane
''City of Bohane'' is the debut novel by Ireland's Kevin Barry. The book is set in the year 2053, in a world with minimal technology. It received largely positive reviews and won the 2013 International Dublin Literary Award.
Synopsis
''City ...
'' , ,
, -
! rowspan="2" , 2013
, , , ' , ,
, -
,
, ''Mountains of the Moon''
,
, -
! 2014
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2015
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2016
, , , ' , ,
, -
! 2017
, , , ''Harmless Like You'' , ,
, -
! 2018
, , , ''
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
''Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine'' is the 2017 debut novel by Gail Honeyman, and the winner of the 2017 Costa Debut Novel Award. The story centres on Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past who becomes enamoured with a si ...
'' , ,
, -
! 2019
, , , ''In Our Mad and Furious City'' , ,
, -
! 2020
, , ,
''Golden Child'' , ,
, -
! 2021
, , , ''Love After Love'' , ,
, -
! 2022
, , , ''Before My Actual Heart Breaks'' , ,
, -
! 2023
, , , ''When We Were Birds'' , ,
, -
! 2024
,
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow is a British writer whose debut novel, '' All the Little Bird-Hearts'', was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. Her work is informed by her background as an autistic woman and activities supporting people with autism; her ...
, , ''All the Little Bird-Hearts''
,
[{{Cite web , date=2024-05-22 , title=2024 Best First Novel Award Winner Announced , url=https://www.authorsclub.co.uk/2024-best-first-novel-award-winner-announced/ , access-date=2025-03-22 , website=The Authors' Club Since 1891 , language=en-GB]
References
First book awards
English literary awards
British fiction awards
Awards established in 1954
1954 establishments in the United Kingdom
Novel awards