By Callum Wright
Local Booker Prize-winning author Stanley Middleton has been honoured in Nottingham Central Library to mark 50 years since his historic accolade.
Middleton, who died in 2009, lived in Nottingham his whole life and is best-known for his 1974 novel ‘Holiday’.
The book, described as ‘a portrait of English provincial life and an exploration of grief and regret’, won the Booker Prize, the most prestigious award for English works of fiction published in the UK.
He shared the prize alongside Nadine Gordimer’s ‘The Conservationist’ in only one of two instances when two authors have shared the award, and is the only person from Nottinghamshire to win.
Now, 50 years on from his historic win, the legendary trophy has been brought to Nottingham Central Library as part of a celebratory event for Middleton’s work and legacy.
Many of Middleton’s family, friends and fans gathered at the event that saw the trophy put on display, and his daughter Penny Lymn Rose said she’s very proud to honour her father.
“I think it’s lovely that my father is being celebrated in this way, in the town where he was born, and lived, and worked and loved,” she said.
“Fifty years is a long time in anybody’s reckoning, and to know that people still are interested and still want to show up to something like this I think is fantastic.”
Speaking of her father’s feelings on the award, she added: “Being shortlisted meant that he had to go down to London for a dinner which was completely out of his comfort zone, I think he was pleased that other people rated his work so highly and that’s about as far as I would go.”
The trophy will be on loan to the library for two years where it’ll be displayed in a glass cabinet. Lynda Naylor from the library’s Local Studies Department says the exhibit will help people to find out more about Middleton.
She said: “Come and find the statue, find out more about Stanley, who he was, why he won the Booker Prize and maybe find out about other local authors.
“We’re really grateful to the family, they’ve made this happen so it’s really positive to have this in our lovely new library.
“To recognise local authors is really important and the addition that they can have to show life as it was in Nottingham and you recognise the spaces, and it’s the same with Stanley’s books.”
Another local author, David Belbin, also spoke at the event as one of Middleton’s friends, and he shared stories about both the character and writing of Middleton, as well as reading a passage from Holiday.
He said: “He [Middleton] was a very wise, very interesting man who was an enormously well-read reader and skilful writer so we had lots of long conversations about the art of writing.
“The attendance today demonstrates there are still lots of people who loved his work and loved him.
“Stanley published 45 books, starting in 1958, when you’ve got so many books and so many of them of such high quality it’s hard for people to pick things out and know what to read, I asked him what the best of his books are and he picked 10 out of about 40 – for most authors there aren’t anything like that number of great books.”
