Canadian author Michael Crummey has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Dublin Literary Award for his book 'The Adversary'.
Sponsored by Dublin City Council, the award is unique in that it receives its nominations from public libraries around the world and recognises both writers and translators.
'The Adversary' is described as a dark, enthralling novel about love and its limitations, the corruption of power and the power of corruption.
Nominated by Newfoundland and Labrador libraries in Canada, the winning novel was chosen from a shortlist of six novels by writers from Argentina, Ireland, The Netherlands and the United States.
The Dublin Literary Award, which is celebrating 30 years this year, has a prize of €100,000 which makes it world's most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English.
The longlist of 71 titles was nominated by 83 libraries from 34 countries.
Very warm reaction to Canadian Michael Crummey winner of #DubLitAward just now… v entertaining speech! He thanks Newfoundland library 'I would not be the person I am today without my local buchans library from when I was growing up!' pic.twitter.com/EJIVp59Y75
— Evelyn O'Rourke (@evelyn_orourke) May 22, 2025
The award is noted for its policy of sharing the prize pot if the book is in translation.
The 59-year-old winner, who lives in Newfoundland, said: "To have won the Dublin Literary Award leaves me thrilled and deeply, deeply grateful. It's something I will carry with me always."
He added: "I would not be here today without the Buchans Public Library, the library in my hometown. It's like a small mining town, maybe 1,500 people down 70km of a dead end road. But the library was the place where I found the world outside my town, and it just gave me such a sense of possibility.
"So the fact that the Newfoundland public libraries who nominated the book for this award are still opening me up to the world and sending me out into the world that just makes me so thrilled."
Mr Crummey has authored seven books of poetry and four novels, garnering many awards and nominations for his publications.
Lord Mayor and Patron of the Award Emma Blain announced the winning title and Dublin City Council CEO Richard Shakespeare presented the prize to the winning author at the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Mr Shakespeare said: "The award celebrating 30 years is a source of pride for us in our UNESCO City of Literature. It has supported writers, translators and readers over the years, and brings the world closer through the power of imaginative story-telling."
The story of 'The Adversary' is set in an isolated outpost - Mockbeggar - on Newfoundland’s northern coastline, where a ruthless act of sabotage is the opening in a battle between the man and woman who own the outpost's largest mercantile firms.
They are each fighting for the scarce resources of north the Atlantic fishery and each is seeking a measure of revenge on the person they despise most in the world.
As their unshakeable animosity spirals further each year, the community is increasingly divided and even the innocents in Mockbeggar find themselves forced to take sides, with devastating consequences.
