The John McGahern Annual Book Prize

Join us for the sixth annual John McGahern Book Prize and hear excerpts from the winning entry, Girl in the Making by Anna Fitzgerald.

The shortlist was whittled down from 17 entries and the final arbiter was Irish novelist and former University of Liverpool Chancellor, Colm Tóibín.

Girl in the Making follows the life of a troubled girl, Jean Kennedy, growing up in south Dublin over 15 years during the 70s and 80s. Coming to maturity surrounded by a beloved mother, a hated father (known only as He or Him throughout), a sexually predatory uncle and her siblings, this coming-of-age novel is ultimately a hopeful consideration of the power of literature to teach, to transform and to heal.

The prize was established by the University’s Institute of Irish Studies to promote new Irish fiction and to celebrate the memory of one of Ireland’s greatest masters of prose fiction, John McGahern (1934-2006). The competition carries an award of £5,000 for the best debut novel or short story collection by an Irish writer or writer resident in Ireland published in 2024.

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All passes will include reserved seating in the lecture theatre, plus a host of other exclusive VIP benefits. Please note, the weekend pass does include the launch event with Emma Jane Unsworth on Friday 17th October.

There are a number of FREE University of Liverpool student tickets at all festival events. Students who sign up to receive their free ticket will need to show their student ID when they arrive at the venue.

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