GALWAY’S JULIAN Gough has seen his most recent novel Jude In London shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize.
The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction is awarded at the Hay Festival in Wales and according to Julian it will see “a pig named after your book, and they will take your photo with the pig. A great, idiosyncratic prize, with a good track record.”
The Wodehouse judges discovered Marina Lewycka’s A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian; chose Vernon God Little before it won the Booker, and last year the award went to Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story.
Julian is up against some heavyweight comic writers for the prize, as Terry Pratchett, Sue Townsend, John O’Farrell, and John Lanchester have also been shortlisted.
“Normally, natural humility would cause any author surprise at being on such a splendid shortlist,” said Julian. “However, regular readers of my work will know I do not suffer from humility.”
