Welsh writer Carys Davies has won the €25,000 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award for her collection The Redemption of Galen Pike.
The book is Davies' second short story collection. On hearing of her win, she said: "I am delighted, grateful, and completely astonished."
Speaking about this year’s winner on behalf of the judging panel, judge Eabhear Walshe said,’The Redemption of Galen Pike is a truly original and striking collection, full of funny, keenly observed stories replete with twists and turns that surprise.
"The language is economical with not a word to spare. Davies takes historical moments and themes and examines them in novel ways which intrigue the reader. Here is a remarkable voice."
The award, which is run by The Munster Literature Centre and co-sponsored by Cork City Council and The School of English, University College Cork, is the single most lucrative in the world for a collection of short stories and is named after the writer whom W.B. Yeats described as the Irish Chekov.
Previous winners have included Haruki Murakami, Edna O’Brien, Ron Rash and Yiyun Li.
The 2015 award will be presented to Davies in September at the closing of the Cork
International Short Story Festival, which is the world’s oldest annual short story festival.
