Marilynne Robinson wins Orange Prize for Fiction

The winners of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers were announced yesterday at a high-prolife awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London. American author Marilynne Robinson was the recipient of the top award, the Orange Prize for Fiction, for her third novel Home (Virago). British debut author Francesca Kay won the award for New Writers with her novel An Equal Stillness (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

Hosted by Orange Prize for Fiction Co-Founder and Honorary Director, Kate Mosse and the 2009 Chair of Judges, Fi Glover, the awards were attended by UK’s no.1 music prodigy ‘Little Boots’ and well known T.V personality Helen Lederer.

American author Marilynne Robinson was presented with a £30,000 prize and the ‘Bessie’, a limited edition bronze figurine. Both are anonymously endowed.

The judges for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction were:

Fi Glover (Chair), Broadcaster
Bidisha, Writer and Novelist
Sarah Churchwell, Journalist and Academic
Kira Cochrane, Journalist
Martha Lane Fox, Entrepreneur

The Orange Prize for Fiction was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction written by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible. The Orange Prize is awarded to the best novel of the year written in English by a woman.

To find out more, visit orangeprize.co.uk.