It’s that time of year again. Many will be thinking of Christmas, but for the Literary Review yesterday was the day to announce the nominees for this year’s Bad Sex in Literature Award and here they are:
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (4th Estate)
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (Atlantic Books)
The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon (Atlantic Books)
Maya by Alastair Campbell (Hutchinson)
A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee (Constable & Robinson)
Heartbreak by Craig Raine (Atlantic Books)
The Shape of Her by Rowan Somerville (W&N)
Mr Peanut by Adam Ross (Jonathan Cape).
I wonder how Atlantic Books have been feeling about this news…
For the first year in its history the judges considered extending the scope to include non-fiction as a result of Tony Blair’s A Journey. However, his prose did not meet the required standard to move from longlist to nominee. (Perhaps this is why we are now seeing the emphasis on ‘literature’ over the previous cuddly term of ‘bad sex in fiction’.)
The MSM’s coverage of this award appears to dwindle as each year passes, but TIME has provided a taster from Franzen if you feel the need to delve further.
The winner will be announced on November 29, at the usual place in London.
So glad I don't qualify for this award as I try to avoid writing about this - what can I say? - thorny issue? sticky issue?...
Posted by: Leigh Russell | 13 December 2010 at 12:27
From the list I have only read A Life Apart and The Slap. I noticed the bad sex in both of them, but some of the scenes in A Life Apart really stood out as being terrible. I wouldn't be surprised to see it win.
Posted by: Jackie (Farm Lane Books) | 19 November 2010 at 20:58