Drum roll please…
Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Zoë Perry, published by Charco Press wins the 2024 Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses.
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Animals go mad and men die (accidentally and not) at a slaughterhouse in an impoverished, isolated corner of Brazil.
In a landscape worthy of Cormac McCarthy, the river runs septic with blood. Edgar Wilson makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of a cow, then stuns it with a mallet. He does this over and over again, as the stun operator at Senhor Milo’s slaughterhouse: reliable, responsible, quietly dispatching cows and following orders, wherever that may take him. It’s important to calm the cows, especially now that they seem so unsettled: they have begun to run in panic into walls and over cliffs. Bronco Gil, the foreman, thinks it’s a jaguar or a wild boar. Edgar Wilson has other suspicions. But what is certain is that there is something in this desolate corner of Brazil driving men, and animals, to murder and madness.
What our judges said about of cattle and men:
“A short, perfectly conceived and executed, gut-punch of a novel!”
- Sana Goyal
“Understated, mesmerising and unflinching, it is both a tightly focused, utterly gripping human story and a devastating universal parable for our times”
- Rebecca Abrams
“The novel's unresolved nature leaves an indelible impression on the reader, making it an exceptionally powerful piece of literature.”
- Declan O’Driscoll
With Out of Earth by Sheyla Smanioto, translated by Laura Garmeson & Sophie Lewis, published by Boilerhouse Press winning the prize for Outstanding First Novel
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What the judges said about Out of Earth:
"A novel of irresistible power and passion, Out of Earth is a feminist tour de force. A stunning portrayal of love and violence across four generations of Brazilian women”
- Rebecca Abrams
“In an outstanding translation by Laura Garmeson and Sophie Lewis – Out of Earth mesmerises the reader with a chorus of voices and perspectives”
- Declan O’Driscoll
This year’s shortlist also included:
Avenues by Trains by Farai Mudzingwa, published by Cassava Republic Press
The End of August by Yu Miri, translated by Morgan Giles, published by Tilted Axis
The Zecameron by Maxim Znak, translated by Jim and Ella Dingley, Published by Scotland Street Press
The shortlisted presses received £1000 each. All longlisted presses received £500 each.
Thank you to our judges and each press that made a submission, this has been a year to remember. The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses 2024 was judged by Sana Goyal, Rebecca Abrams & Declan O’Driscoll. Our immense gratitude goes out to them, yet again. It was a close competition.