British author Jon McGregor has won the €100,000 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his book "Even the Dogs".
His work of fiction is about the lives of a group of homeless drug addicts.
McGregor beat off competition from 146 other titles to win the prize which is unique in that it is based on nominations from public libraries around the world.
This year 162 libraries from 45 countries took part and the final shortlist involved 10 novels from the United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil and Israel.
The judging panel described McGregor's novel as a "fearless experiment".
It showed in "close-up detail the lives of a gathering of homeless addicts as they go about their daily forage for shelter, drink or a fix.
McGregor, who was born in Bermuda and raised in England, is the author of two other critically acclaimed novels.
The other novels shortlisted for this year's prize included "Matterhorn" by Vietnam war veteran Karl Marlantes and Jennifer Egan's 2011 Pulitzer prize-winning "A Visit from the Goon Squad".
