Last week was one of celebration for Fiona. Not only has her book The Trouble with Fire, been short listed for the NZ Post Award for Fiction, but it has gained international recognition with its short listing for the 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.
Launched in 2005, the award is presented each year to an original collection of stories published in English (including translation) judged to be the most accomplished. The award’s aim is to reward an individual author’s commitment to this most exacting of forms and encourage the publication of collections of stories in book form as distinct from single stories in periodicals. The most lucrative award in the world for a collection of stories the winner receives payment of €25,000. The award is funded by Cork City Council and in the gift of the Munster Literature Centre.
Previous winners include Haruki Murakami, Yiyun LI, Miranda July, Jhumpa Lahiri, Simon Van Booy, Ron Rash, Edna O’Brien.
The Trouble with Fire, published in July 2011, explores how we are all touched and sometimes scarred by the flames of emotion — whether it be the impossible love of a pregnant woman for a married man, grief for a dead baby or the loss of a young woman in mysterious circumstances. Ranging in time from the colonial period to the present day, the stories are beautifully crafted, intriguing and evocative.
For more information on the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the other short listed authors please visit www.frankoconnor-shortstory-award.net
Random House Press Release, 11 June, 2012