Jamaican author lands American literary prize

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Jamaican author Marlon James has been awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize (fiction category) for his novel, The Book of Night Women.

The announcement of James' win was made last week by organisers of the event. He will receive the award on November 7 at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton, Ohio, with respected journalist Nick Clooney (father of actor George Clooney) scheduled to host.

Released in 2008 by the Penguin Group, The Book of Night Women is set on a Jamaican sugar plantation in the 18th century. It is centred around Lilith, a mysterious woman who becomes involved in a slave rebellion led by women.

Five rivals

The Book of Night Women beat five rivals for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. A Postcard from the Volcano by Lucy Beckett, A Good Fall by Ha Jin, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim and The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adiche were the other books in the fiction category.

First held in 2006, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize is, according to organisers, "given for adult fiction and non-fiction books published at some point within the immediate past year that have led readers to a better understanding of other peoples' cultures, religions and political views, with the winner in each category receiving a cash prize of $10,000."

James, whose first book, John Crow's Devil, was published in 2005, is a professor at Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota.

The Book of Night Women has received solid reviews from established publications like the New York Times.

"Marlon James' second novel is both beautifully written and devastating ... . Writing in the spirit of Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, but in a style all his own, James has conducted an experiment in how to write the unspeakable - even the unthinkable. And the results of that experiment are an undeniable success," read the Times review.

In 2009, The Book of Night Women won the Minnesota Book Award for novel and short fiction.