McKay wins Arthur C Clarke Award

The Animals in that Country by Laura Jean McKay (Scribe) has won the UK’s Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction.

McKay’s debut novel was selected from a shortlist of six announced in July, and explores a world where a pandemic leads to humans having the ability to understand the language of animals. McKay wins a commemorative engraved bookend and a cash prize of £2021 (A$3800)—the prize money is adjusted annually to match the year.

The Animals in That Country won the 2021 Victorian Prize for Literature and has been shortlisted for numerous prizes including the ALS Gold Medal.

In its 35th year, the Arthur C Clarke Award celebrates the best science fiction novel first published in the UK during the previous year. The recipient of the 2020 prize was Namwali Serpell for The Old Drift (Vintage).

For more information about the award, see the website.

Category: Awards Local news