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Toby Litt scoops Fiction Prize

1,700 entries, 40 countries

THE MANCHESTER Fiction Prize has been awarded to eclectic English novelist Toby Litt.

The 41-year-old scooped the £10,000 prize awarded by MMU Writing School at a ceremony at Manchester Town Hall on Friday night.

The competition attracted more than 1,700 entries from over 40 countries - and was judged by writers Nicholas Royle, Sarah Hall and M. John Harrison.

Michael Halmshaw, from Leeds, who is writing his first novel, won the Manchester Young Writer of the Year Bursary in the 18-25-year-old category.

Beatniks

The winners were a special gala event as part of the Manchester Literature Festival which features Martin Amis, Val McDermid, Ruth Padel and the Writing School's Simon Armitage.

Toby Litt is the author of Adventures in Capitalism, Beatniks, Corpsing, deadkidsongs, Exhibitionism, Finding Myself, Ghost Story, I play the drums in a band called okay, Journey into Space and the forthcoming King Death. He is a Granta Best of Young British Novelist.

Toby said: "After numerous nominations I have finally broken my duck and won.

"It is the first time I have won something since school, when I won a prize for flying my paper aeroplane the furthest."

For further details, please contact James Draper at The Manchester Writing School on +44 (0) 161 247 1787 or j.draper@mmu.ac.uk. Toby's website is at www.tobylitt.com.

Published Monday, 26th October 2009