For all the book lovers out there, here is a list of books to read in lockdown to curb your boredom!
The Dylan Thomas Prize is one of the leading prizes for young writers presented annually. The prize is awarded for all forms of fiction writing in English language which includes poetry, novels, short stories, and drama. And the much-awaited shortlist for this year was recently announced, giving us the list of books to read in lockdown. Professor Dai Smith, who headed the committee of judges, said “The shortlist for 2020 ranges across the genres of poetry, short form fiction and the novel, and each work manages to address upfront the pressing social and personal concerns and dilemmas of our time.
But what suddenly stands out in stark relief, amidst the overwhelming global nature of the crisis in which all humanity now finds itself struggling to cope, are the universal values which these disparate books highlight: compassion, empathy, courage against despair, anger against indifference, love in spite of everything.
In a very dark time these six supremely talented young writers do what all such writers do: they light the way, and so must be read for all our sakes.” The winner will be declared in an online ceremony hosted by Swansea University. The list goes like:
- ‘Surge’ by Jay Bernard
This book is a collection of poems that draw its inspiration from the New Cross Fire of 1981 and the Grenfell tower fire. Both the incidents are remembered as deliberate racist attacks on the black community. There were 13 reported deaths in the New Cross Fire incident in South London all of whom were black.
While the other mishap caused 72 people and injured many others. These poems are a commentary on racism and black identity.
- ‘Flèche’ by Mary Jean Chan
This debut collection by the author, is another work of poetry. The title is a French word meaning arrow and is also a combative fencing technique, a sport the author likes. The poems are from diverse themes like: culture, queerness, changing politics and even about the poet’s mother. The book also won the 2019 Costa Book Award.
- ‘Inland’ by Tèa Obreht
According to the Prize committee, this book is an archaic tale describing the American Dream. It centres around a woman Nora, who is waiting with her son and cousin-in-law for the men to return back home from the war. It also focuses on a man named Lurie who is haunted by several spirits.
- ‘If All the World and Love were Young’ by Stephen Sexton
This book revolves around the poet’s childhood days through his various video games especially Mario. It has a series of discrete poems strung together beautifully.
- ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-born poet who won the 2017 T.S.Elliot Poetry Prize, for his collection ‘Night Sky with Exit Wounds’. The book is the author’s debut novel and follows the journey of a character called Little Dog through migration. It is written in the form of a letter from a son to his mother. The book covers various strong themes like displacement, love, loss.
- ‘Lot’ by Bryan Washington
This book is set in Houston, the author’s hometown, and is a collection of interlinked short stories.
It covers a variety of characters like: a woman who gets caught with her affairs, a drug dealer, some hurricane survivors, etc.
Dwight Garner of the New York Times picked it as one of the best books of 2019. Also, it was Barack Obama’s one of the favourites from the previous year.
