The highlight of the past week for booksellers, publishers and authors has been the British Book Awards. A gala dinner in London provided the opportunity for prizes to be presented for outstanding achievements in all things books.
It was great to see that some of my favourite titles have been recognised: 'James' by Percival Everett was named fiction title of the year and printmaker Angela Harding, who visited us at The Riverside last year, won the children's non-fiction book of the year for 'Wilding' with Isabella Tree.
But there were two awards which attracted particular attention recognising as they did the current backdrop of social and political change, and the threat of technology to creative endeavour.
Kate Mosse is known as a novelist, playwright, founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, cultural commentator and, most recently, as a campaigner challenging Artificial Intelligence companies mining artistic works for data.
She was awarded the British Book Award for Social Impact. This prize was created in honour of publisher Allen Lane whose mission was to widen access to books and democratise reading.
And Margaret Atwood won the British Book Award for the Freedom to Publish. The author of 'The Handmaid's Tale' among her 17 novels, 19 books of poetry, 11 non-fiction works, nine short story collections and eight children’s books was given the award as someone who 'has gone above and beyond in terms of promoting reading and free expression. The award is to pay tribute to that individual and also to highlight this damaging trend within the book world.'
She said in her acceptance of the prize, reported here, that she couldn't remember another point in her lifetime 'when words themselves have felt under such threat'.
Both women are phenomenal in their contributions to literature and the arts through their own individual creative output, but also their courage, eloquence and determination in standing up for the freedom of expression and the rights of authors and artists to be acknowledged for their work. I know I feel encouraged and inspired by their willingness to speak out and to stand firm.
Thank you for reading.