Announcing our 2020 winner: Fitzcarraldo Editions, for ANIMALIA by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, tr. Frank Wynne

A note from Neil Griffiths, founder of the prize

Last year we had two winners. Not because we couldn’t choose between two books, and certainly not because there was a struggle between status and power – a situation where no one wins. Actually, in that instance 2 people won, but did it really feel like that?  No, in our case we recognised that most often in the arts we are not in an either / or world but an and / both one. Of course, following our double winner year, the Turner Prize nominees decided amongst themselves to share the award; Olivia Laing shared her James Tait Black prize money; and the Booker ... well, as above ... the Booker did its thing. I don’t believe for a second that we had any influence, but it’s fair to say in times when there is much talk of ‘the curve’ we were ahead of it.

This year we’re mixing and matching. Given said times, we’re sharing the prize money out equally between 5 small presses, but this year it was felt there could only be one winner. It’s a side note to say this is the first year I haven’t been part of the judging panel; but 10 pages in to Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, and mesmerically translated by Frank Wynne, I was fairly sure the judging panel had its winner. I lobbied using mind-waves because the prizes administrator, James Tookey, would allow no other intervention.  

There is much to say about Animalia, but given the current global situation, it is timely indeed to have a book that is preoccupied with our bodies as a physical organism. Covid-19 doesn’t care about our minds, our rationality, our creativity; it has no interest in us as human beings: it is virus that is transmitted from one animal to another animal. If the coronavirus levels us because we’re all susceptible, Animalia reminds us why.

Congratulations to all at Fitzcarraldo Editions, Jean-Baptise Del Amo and Frank Wynne.

---