A Speech by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at the Man Booker Prize 2014

[cinrit]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be with you again on the most exciting evening of the literary year!  As a passionate reader myself, it is a huge pleasure for me to join this gathering of the great and good from the world of books.  I am sure that all of us here - readers and writers alike - cannot wait to hear who has won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Why is the Man Booker Prize important?  I believe it's because every year writers and their books hit the headlines.  We are interested in who the judges will be and what books make the long list; we read and judge them for ourselves over the summer.  We argue about the shortlist and who was left out, and wonder why.  The Man Booker Prize puts books and authors at the top of the agenda and reminds us all of the pleasure and power of reading – no mean feat in a world where there are so many other calls on our time and attention.  And, more importantly, those newspaper articles – or that opinion on Twitter – might convert a 'non-believer'.  (I hope the Chairman of the judges will forgive my turn of phrase.)  It might just be the key which opens the door into that magical kingdom of the written word.

I was lucky to grow up in a house full of books, and to have a father who read to us with such enjoyment that we never found reading anything but a huge pleasure.  All of us here tonight feel the same passion for good writing. 

More: Speech

Cindy
Double post auto-merged: October 15, 2014, 11:49:00 AM

GBR: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Attends Awards Dinner For The Man Booker For Fiction 2014 Pictures & News Photos | Getty Images

Cindy

[TLLK]

Thank you Cindy for the article. Camilla looks elegant tonight at the awards dinner.

[sandy]

Elegant? Not with that hairdo. She needs a new style.

[Canuck]

I liked Camilla's speech a lot.  I think she's absolutely right about why these prizes matter:  they keep conversations about books in the public consciousness and encourage people to read and debate the selections.

On a shallow note, I love Camilla's snake necklace.

[Macrobug]

I agree, too.  Books are important.  The written word is a cornerstone of our society; without books we would not have had the advances that have occurred.  There is a reason that the Gutenberg printing press is considered the most important development of modern times.

[TLLK]

^^^I remember reading that in 2000. It offered the opportunity to read material that had been previously been limited to those who could afford hand copied books.
Double post auto-merged: October 15, 2014, 06:38:48 PM

I liked Camilla's speech a lot.  I think she's absolutely right about why these prizes matter:  they keep conversations about books in the public consciousness and encourage people to read and debate the selections.

On a shallow note, I love Camilla's snake necklace.

Oh that's the piece she was wearing. I couldn't tell which one it was.

[cate1949]

I am thrilled this book won - it is such a great book - difficult to see how men suffered in those WWII labor camps but really inspiring - recommend it heartily

[TLLK]

Thank you for the recommendation and I'll check this one out.

[Macrobug]

Likewise :thumbsup:

[cate1949]

the book was inspired by his father who was a survivor of the camps - the main character is based on a real person
Dr. Weary Dunlop

[Curryong]

Dr Alan 'Weary' Dunlop is a well-known figure in Australia. He did wonderful things with very little equipment and medicines as a surgeon in the Japanese POW camps.