Derry Girls, the hit Channel 4 sitcom written by Lisa McGee and directed by Michael Lennox, has been shortlisted for the 26th Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize, in memory of the British ambassador to Ireland who was murdered by the IRA in 1976. A separate Ewart-Biggs prize, also of £7,500, will be awarded this year to a work dealing with the implications of Brexit for Ireland, Britain and Europe. We wanted to recognise this, which is why we decided to give a separate prize for commentary on Brexit. All the shortlisted works are dazzling in their originality and all contribute enormously to understanding and thereby reconciliation.”The previous Christopher Ewart-Biggs memorial prize was won in 2018 by Fergal Keane for his book Wounds: a memoir of war and love. The Ewart-Biggs Trust also awarded a special prize of £5,000 to Prof Marianne Elliott for her achievement in advancing the understanding of Irish history in Britain.

Source: The Irish Times February 12, 2020 12:02 UTC