LONDON (AP) — British writer Susanna Clarke won the prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction on Wednesday for her mind-tweaking fantasy novel “Piranesi.”
Clarke was awarded the 30,000-pound ($41,000) award for her second novel, which was published 16 years after her first, “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” became a global best-seller.
Set in a magical alternate reality, “Piranesi” is narrated by a man living in a labyrinthine, statue-filled house — alone except for a visitor known as the Other — that comprises his whole universe. As he explores his domain, the character’s understanding of his world gradually shifts — and so does the reader’s.
Clarke’s first novel, an epic magical saga, was published to acclaim in 2004, sold more than 4 million copies and was adapted for television by the BBC. Clarke has said that work on the follow-up was slowed by illness, as she struggled with chronic fatigue syndrome.
“Piranesi” was published in 2020, as much of the world was experiencing lockdown, isolation and dislocation because of the coronavirus pandemic, and…
