Irish author Ferdia Lennon shortlisted for Waterstones debut fiction prize

The Waterstones debut fiction prize has announced its six book long shortlist featuring Irish author Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits.

The prize, which is now in its third year, awards £5,000 to an "exceptional first novel" is voted for by Waterstones' booksellers.

This year's shortlist includes alongside Lennon's offering  Martyr!, by poet Kaveh Akbar,  Mongrel by actor Hanako Footman, The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, and Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly.

Speaking on this year's list, the British book retailer said: "This year's six-strong shortlist represents the exciting scope of contemporary storytelling and takes us from ancient Syracuse to present-day New Zealand, and from Cold War Berlin to contemporary America, by way of electrifying time-hopping adventure in near-future London and a haunting tale of desire and belonging that moves between Japan and Britain".

Lennon's debut Glorious Exploits sees a classical tale is reimagined with a modern Dub vernacular at its centre.

Speaking to Hot Press on his novel, Lennon said: "Glorious Exploits is about that compulsion we have towards stories, and more specifically, the dark stories, stories of tragedy, even in the most dire of circumstances".

In the same view the author went on to say that his choice of using Dublin slang in the historical fiction was designed to surprise readers:

“I felt it would jolt the reader and make it different,” he says. “The convention is usually very much as if the people in these stories have just stepped out of Eton. So, I knew if I did this, people would go, ‘That’s kind of improbable’. But why is it any more improbable than having them sound like they’re from Oxford?”