WHITBREAD Book of the Year

"Author Claire Tomalin has won the Whitbread Book Of The Year literary prize - beating a list of contenders which included her own husband.

Tomalin's biography of the diarist Samuel Pepys triumphed over the World War II novel Spies written by her husband Michael Frayn.

The 69-year-old writer took home the £25,000 prize and an award which will no doubt take pride of place at the couple's north London home.

Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self, was the bookmakers' favourite and the judges' choice by an "overwhelming" majority.
In the book Tomalin reveals the personal life of the renowned 17th Century diarist - from his marriage to his predilection for young girls.
Chair of the judges Ian Hislop said: "There was quite a lot of discussion but in the end there was an overwhelming vote for the Pepys book.
"We know a lot about Pepys from his diaries but they only covered nine years and Tomalin has covered his whole life, that is what is so impressive."

The other contenders were Norman Lebrecht's The Song of Names (First Novel), Paul Farley's The Ice Age (Poetry) and Hilary McKay's Saffy's Angel (Children's Book).

Tomalin and Frayn, also 69, were the first married couple to compete for the Whitbread prize.

Novel:
Michael Frayn, Spies
First novel:
Norman Lebrecht, The Song of Names
Poetry:
Paul Farley, The Ice Age
Biography:
Claire Tomalin, Pepys: The Unequalled Self
Children's Book:
Hilary McKay, Saffy's Angel

Last year's Whitbread Book of the Year was awarded to Philip Pullman for The Amber Spyglass, the first time that a children's book had been the overall winner."


Ananova Whitbread


BBC Whitbread