A number of books selected to the Wales Literature Exchange 2013-14 Bookshelf have been successful at the Wales Book of the Year 2014 awards.

Francesca Rhydderch won the Fiction (English) category with her novel The Rice Paper Diaries (Seren, 2013) while Eneidiau (Souls) (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2013) by Aled Jones Wiliams and Paris (Barddas 2013) by Wiliam Owen Roberts were short listed in the Fiction (Welsh) category.

A number of past Bookshelf authors were also short listed for the prize including Sian Northey and Tessa Hadley.

The winners of the 2014 Wales Book of the Year were announced in a ceremony in Caernarfon. Judges Andrew Webb, Jasper Rees, a Nadia Kamil awarded the Roland Mathias Poetry Award and overall English language prize to Pink Mist, (Faber and Faber, 2013) a a verse-drama about three young soldiers from Bristol who are deployed to Afghanistan by Owen Sheers. White Ravens (Seren, 2009), his contemporary response to ‘Branwen, daughter of Llŷr’ (from The Mabinogion), was selected to the Bookshelf in 2009.

The novel, Dewis, (Gwasg Gomer, 2014) by Ioan Kidd which follows Mari and her family as they are faced with many complicated situations and events was awarded the overall Welsh language prize by judges Gareth Miles, Eurig Salisbury and Lowri Cooke.

The books topped a short list which included Poetry, Fiction and Non Fiction.

Winners in full

Welsh
Rhwng y Llinellau, Christine James (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas), Winner of the Poetry category;
Dewis, Ioan Kidd (Gwasg Gomer),Winner of the Fiction category and Overall Winner.
Bob: Cofiant R. Williams Parry 1884-1956, Alan Llwyd (Gwasg Gomer), Winner of the creative non Fiction.

Saesneg
Pink Mist,Owen Sheers (Faber and Faber), Winner of the Roland Mathias Poetry Award and Overall winner.
The Rice Paper Diaries, Francesca Rhydderch (Seren), Winner of the Fiction cateogory
Rhys Davies: A Writer’s Life, Meic Stephens,(Parthian), Winner of the Creative Non Fiction category

The following books reached the 2014 short list:

Welsh language short list

Poetry short list

Rhwng y Llinellau, Christine James (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

Trwy Ddyddiau Gwydr, Sian Northey (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

Lôn Fain, Dafydd John Pritchard (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

Fiction short list

Dewis, Ioan Kidd (Gwasg Gomer)

Paris, Wiliam Owen Roberts (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas)

Eneidiau, Aled Jones Williams (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

Creative non-fiction short list

Bob: Cofiant R. Williams Parry 1884-1956, Alan Llwyd (Gwasg Gomer)

Y Brenhinbren: Bywyd a Gwaith Thomas Parry 1904-1985, Derec Llwyd Morgan (Gwasg Gomer)

Ffarwél i Freiburg: Crwydriadau Cynnar T. H. Parry-Williams, Angharad Price (Gwasg Gomer)

English Short list

Roland Mathias Poetry Award

Barkin!, Mike Jenkins (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

The Shape of a Forest, Jemma L. King (Parthian)

Pink Mist, Owen Sheers (Faber and Faber)


Fiction

Clever Girl, Tessa Hadley (Jonathan Cape)

The Drive, Tyler Keevil (Myriad Editions)

The Rice Paper Diaries, Francesca Rhydderch (Seren)

Creative Non-Fiction

Rhys Davies: A Writer’s Life, Meic Stephens (Parthian)


R. S. Thomas: Serial Obsessive, M. Wynn Thomas (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru)

Neither Have I Wings to Fly, Thelma Wheatley (Inanna Publications)