Even I find this a wee bit drastic

So say you're a writer's association based in a particular country, and you're supposed to give out awards for the best book written by someone based in that country. But then, oh dear, three out of the last eight years a writer from another country -- who wrote in a completely different language! -- wins the prize. So what to do? Well, if you're the CWA, change the rules so that books in translation ain't eligible anymore:

The Crime Writers Association has angered publishers by barring foreign-language writers from competing for its top award. The £3,000 Golden Dagger has been scooped by the authors of translated works for three of the last eight years, including this year's winner: Icelandic Arnaldur Indridason for Silence of the Grave.

In a letter to publishers sent after last Tuesday's Daggers ceremony, the association said submissions for the 2006 Golden Dagger would be restricted to books originally written in English, in line with demands by a new sponsor to be announced later this year.

The 2004 prize was funded by BCA after the Daggers' traditional sponsor Macallan withdrew in 2003, but this year's awards were funded by the CWA itself.

Philip Gooden, a spokesman for the association, said it was bringing the award in line with the Man Booker and Orange prizes, which only accept submissions by English-language authors for their main awards. "As the British Crime Writers Association, we also have a duty to promote British writing," he added.

But Dan Franklin, publisher of Jonathan Cape imprint, said: "It's like all the European countries ganging together and deciding to exclude Brazil from the World Cup."

The Guardian picked up the item, too:

Publishers, jubilant over the prize's mainstream recognition for a translated book, Arnaldur Indridason's Silence of the Grave, were astonished when the association circulated a rule change restricting future Golden Daggers to "books originally written in the English language".

"If I hadn't actually seen it in writing from the CWA, I would find this very hard to believe," said Dan Frankin of Random House.

As of yet I haven't seen the written rule change, but if anyone has, please pass it on...

Comments

[Fiona]

I hate to disabuse them, but they are NOT the "British Crime Writers' Association"... British specificality is mentioned nowhere.

It's job is to promote British crime writing? Nonsense. It's job is to promote crime writing. British crime writing tends to promote itself by being, well, based in Britain.

I've sent strongly worded emails about this.

Needless to say, I am very, very angry. (I would be less so if there were a "Best Translated Crime Novel" award somewhere in sight, but as of yet there isn't...)

I really can't believe this.

[Cara]

According to my CWA Crime Writers Association membership booklet 14th edition June 2005 it says:
The Crime Writers' Association was founded by the late John Creasey in 1953. Full membership is limited to published writers of crime fiction or non-fiction who are resident in GB but, at the discretion of the Committee, writers from overseas are welcome...
So what's this tempest brewing in a teapot?

[JDRhoades]

Does American English count?

[Andi]

How do we compare this to the Edgar for best first which only goes to an "American" author? - not the Edgar for best novel, which I just checked and has no limits but MWA does limit the "best first" award.
I dunno if it's a tempest, an uproar or what since I'm not familiar with the other nominees this year. I GEt it even if it makes me uncomfortable. Three out of the last 8? So? They ARE 52 years old (hey! we were born the same year!) and if I understand the "dagger of daggers" that means they've given awards for that long. I did read another book by the winner and was croggled to see him win this; he did not strike me as more than a pretty generic, fairly ordinary crime novelist. Maybe this book was really different. And while technically "Britain" isn't in the title, I would say that pertty much everyone who knows awards and organizations in the genre thinks of them as the British orgainzation. Yes they have non-British members (as I checked on their website, which yes does end in co.uk).

[Karin]

If they change the rules, I'd like to think that the translator, as a creator in his or her own right, counts for something in the equation. Maybe the translator should have to be British or living in Britain.

[Danuta Reah]

The CWA was given very little opportunity in the press to comment on this and to put our side of the argument. I would like to say that we are actively seeking sponsorship for an award for books in translation that reward the translator as well as the writer.