(From left) Co-founder of Calabash Literary Festival, Colin Channer, with the three nominees for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for the first book - Deni Bechard who won the prize, Maxine Case and Andrew O'Connor. Calabash Festival was held at Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, from Friday, May 25 to Sunday, May 27. - Yahneake Sterling photo

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Canadian Deni Bechard and New Zealander Lloyd Jones won the Best First Book and Best Book awards, respectively, at the recently concluded 2007 Calabash International Literary Festival in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth.

Bechard won for Vandal Love, summarised by chairman of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize Nicholas Hasluck, as "an ambitious novel that follows generations of a French-Canadian family across North America and the 20th century as they struggle to find their place in the world". In Jones' Mister Pip "violence comes face to face with the power of the imagination".

Aloun Assamba, who made the official announcements, handed over the 5,000 Best First Book cheque to Bechard; Jones also collected his 10,000 from Mrs. Aesomba Hasluck said that was the 21st anniversary of "this increasingly prestigious prize" and outlined the judging process, from the selection of regional winners from Europe and South Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean and South East Asia and South Pacific through to the final selections.

In all, the judges read over 200 books.

"We are deeply indebted to the organisers of the (Calabash) festival for inviting us to participate in this incredible festival and participate in the laid-back atmosphere at Treasure Beach," Hasluck said.

Very happy

Bechard chuckled as he said, "I am very happy. The book took me eight years to write. During six of those years I decided not to work full-time." He did part-time jobs in areas such as construction and demolition and "during that period I lost hope a bit".

He went back to reading favourite novels, sometimes going through them 10 times.

Bechard said, having come to Calabash and seeing authors read and the response of the audience, "I feel a renewed sense of purpose. Overall, I want to thank you for loving literature, loving poets read and inspiring me to write."

"I am surprised because I am at a loss for words," Jones said. "It is a bit of serendipity to be in Jamaica and breathe the same air as Walcott, CLR James." He said he has discovered James about five years ago, finding a kindred spirit in someone born in 1903 half-way around the world and "different in every way except sensibility".

"I want to congratulate my colleagues. Great books. Somebody has to win. I don't know why. I am happy to be it," Jones said.