THE LITERARY world was focused upon the University of Edinburgh for the award of this year’s James Tait Black Memorial Prize at the recent Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The prestigious literary prize was awarded to Rosalind Belben for fiction, and Rosemary Hill for biographical writing. 

Both authors are lesser known in comparison to some of the previous winners of the prize, which include such giants as D.H. Lawrence and Graham Greene. 

Rosalind Belben’s novel Our Horses in Egypt, details the fascinating travels of a horse drafted in to work in Egypt during the First World War and those of her previous owner.

The prize’s manager, Professor Colin Nicholson, described the concept of the novel and the author’s ability to express both human and animal feeling as ‘innovative’. 

Rosemary Hill’s biographical work examines the life and work of Augustus Pugin, one of the great designers of the 19th century and a leading force in establishing the Victorian Gothic movement.

The work was said to do justice to the artist’s many talents, as well as demonstrating an outward reflection of the fast-changing world in which he lived.

Professor Nicholson  of Edinburgh University’s English Literature Department  commented at the ceremony: “Each of the short-listed books are prize-worthy, but two books shone for their readability.” 

The prize is distinct from other such awards, since the selection process involves academics and students within the department of the University of Edinburgh, and does not involve any participation from organisations outwith academia.