Translated works win UK’s oldest book awards for first time

An intense portrait of obsessive desire set in the rural Netherlands and a lushly illustrated elegy for the lost histories and identity of the Arab world have won the UK’s longest-running literary awards.

Today the James Tait Black Prizes are announced, with Lucas Rijneveld’s My Heavenly Favourite winning the Fiction prize, and the Biography prize won by Lamia Ziadé for My Great Arab Melancholy. Each prize is shared with the writer’s respective translators, Michele Hutchison and Emma Ramadan.

This is the first time that both prizes have been awarded to translated works and only the second time a writer and translator have been awarded a prize together in the history of the awards. The prizes were opened to translations in 2021, with authors and translators honoured equally.

Lucas Rijneveld’s winning Fiction title, My Heavenly Favourite, translated by Michele Hutchison and published by Faber & Faber, charts a rural veterinarian’s obsession with a young woman, in a dissection of taboos and social norms.

The novel has been commended for its unique voice and uncompromising storytelling, confirming Rijneveld’s reputation as one of the most original voices in contemporary Dutch literature.

Rijneveld is a Dutch writer known for his emotionally intense and stylistically bold work. Raised in a religious farming community, his rural background and personal experiences informing his writing. His debut novel, The Discomfort of Evening (2018), won the 2020 International Booker Prize.

Michele Hutchison is a British writer and translator, specialising in Dutch-language literature. She won the 2020 International Booker Prize for her translation of Rijneveld’s novel The Discomfort of Evening.

The Fiction prize judging panel, led by University academics Benjamin Bateman and Hannah Boast, commented: ‘Lucas Rijneveld’s challenging, inventive novel is a major literary achievement that confirms his status as one of Europe’s most exciting new writers. Our panel praised his distinctive and vivid language, which was rendered in a stunning translation by Michele Hutchison. My Heavenly Favourite is a uniquely claustrophobic and compulsive read.”

Fiction winner writer Lucas Rijneveld said: “What a glorious honour to be added to the tremendous list of literary giants who preceded me in receiving this wonderful award.”

Fiction winner translator Michele Hutchison added: “What an honour to share this year’s prize with Lucas Rijneveld for My Heavenly Favourite which certainly was a challenging book to translate. I’ve long been aware of the prize’s reputation and its sterling catalogue of winners so to be included among them is a genuine thrill.”

The Biography prize has been awarded to Lamia Ziadé for My Great Arab Melancholy, translated by Emma Ramadan and published by Pluto Press. A richly illustrated memoir intertwining personal narrative with the political and cultural history of the modern Arab world, the book reflects on tragedies which have impacted the region.

Blending memoir, history and pop culture, My Great Arab Melancholy traces the lives of Arab intellectuals from the mid-20th century onward. Through lush visuals and personal reflection, Ziadé explores the cultural and political upheaval of the Arab world, capturing a sense of collective loss and longing.

Beirut born Lamia Ziadé is a French Lebanese author and illustrator known for her richly detailed graphic novels and evocative visual storytelling. Her early experiences in Beirut and ongoing engagement with Arab identity and memory strongly influence her work.

Emma Ramadan is a literary translator, specialising in French to English work. She is the recipient of the PEN Translation Prize, the Albertine Prize, and an NEA Translation Fellowship.

Biography Prize Judges Dr Simon Cooke and Désha Osborne commented: “My Great Arab Melancholy presents a visually striking and poignant blend of text and image that tells a story of overwhelming loss and perseverance for the people of the Middle East. The images – historical and traumatic – linger in the memory long after turning the page. The words – beautifully translated – speak only when necessary and yet are inseparable from the images. Both speak to the past, present and future of a world through the eyes of its author-illustrator.”

Biography Prize winner Lamia Ziadé said: “It is a great honour to receive this prestigious prize. I want to thank the jury from the bottom of heart for granting such distinction to a book so passionately supportive of the Palestinian cause. In the horrific times we are living through, I am doubly touched by this honour. I am also very grateful to David Shulman, my editor at Pluto Press, for publishing this book so unusual in both its form and its subject, and to my translator Emma Ramadan for her excellent work.”

Biography Translator Emma Ramadan: “My deepest gratitude to the jury for recognizing this essential book by Lamia Ziadé that uplifts the undersung stories of martyrs, revolutionaries, and dreamers of the Arab world, decrying the imperialist forces that wreaked havoc in this region, and revealing the ripple effect in our current climate. This award for a hybrid work of writing and illustrations, is a recognition of bravery and originality in storytelling and publishing.”

The awards – presented by the University of Edinburgh since 1919 – are the only major British book prizes judged by literature scholars and students, with a £10,000 prize for the winning authors.

An event celebrating the winning titles and all the shortlisted entries will be held on Friday 30 May from 4.00pm at the University of Edinburgh, hosted by judges Dr Simon Cooke and Hannah Boast.

The reception features a conversation with one of last year’s Biography winners, Ian Penman, talking both about his winning title – Fassbinder: Thousands of Mirrors – and his new book, Erik Satie Three Piece Suite.

The event is open to the public and free to attend. Tickets can be reserved via Eventbrite Celebrating the 2025 James Tait Black Prizes Tickets, Fri, May 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite.