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2nd December 2008

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Old Street author takes richest prize

12.06.08 Anna Richardson

Rawi Hage has won this year's International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his début novel, De Niro's Game, published by independent publisher Old Street in the UK.

Hage, who was born in Beirut and lived through nine years of civil war before emigrating to Canada, beat off competition from 137 titles nominated by libraries across the world.

The judging panel, which included Irish academic and writer Eibhlín Evans, chose Hage's title from a shortlist of eight. They said that De Niro's Game was "an eloquent, forthright and at times beautifully written first novel. Ringing with insight and authenticity the novel shows how war can envelope lives. It's a game where there are no winners, just degrees of survival. It's a wonderful debut and a deserving winner.”

Hage said: "I am a fortunate man. After a long journey of war, displacement and separation, I feel that I am one of the few wanderers who is privileged enough to have been rewarded, and for that I am very grateful."

The €100,000 award, which is the largest literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English, was announced today (12th June) by Dublin's mayor Paddy Bourke.

Also shortlisted were Winterwood by Patrick McCabe; The Attack by Yasmina Khadra; Let it be Morning by Sayed Kashua; The Woman Who Waited by Andrei Makine; The Sweet & Simple Kind by Yasmine Gooneratne; Dreams of Speaking by Gail Jones and The Speed of Light by Javier Cercas.

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