Republic of Consciousness Prize Shortlist Showcase

Readings by the 9th annual Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses shortlisted writers, followed by conversation and audience Q&A. The Republic of Consciousness supports, promotes and celebrates small presses in the UK and Ireland. The Shortlist for this year's prize are: Bulluan Press for There’s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood & Laëtitia Saint-Loubert “A rollicking, sardonic picaresque set on the French outpost of La Réunion in the. 1980s. The novel has important things to say about colonialism and society, but it’s also tremendous fun — darkly funny, acerbic, energetic. There’s scarcely a dull moment on the page, and the translation is remarkably slick.” CB Editions for Invisible Dogs by Charles Boyle “An offbeat, elegantly written tale about two authors marooned an exchange programme in an unnamed totalitarian country. The narrative voice is great company, by turns droll, plaintive and ruminative. It’s whimsical but controlled, and surprisingly compulsive for a largely plotless novel.” Divided Press for How to Leave the World by Marouane Bakhti, translated by Lara Vergnaud “An urgent, bleakly funny, fragmentary account of displacement, queer desire, and finding a place in the world. Using a collage technique, Bakhti has produced an outstanding novel about identity and endurance.” Les Fugitives for Celina by Catherine Axelrad, translated by Philip Terry “Celina is a quiet book, written with great integrity. It tells the story of a young woman, born into poverty, who works as a maid in the household of Victor Hugo. In restrained and unsentimental prose it illuminates lives forgotten by history.” Peninsula Press for Mother Naked by Glen James Brown “Set in the fifth century and narrated by an irrepressible bard called Mother Naked, this novel is bawdy, funny and tragic. The voice of Mother Naked is entirely authentic. Both an entertaining read and a serious work of historical fiction.”