Last year The Cartography of Others was awarded Grand Prize in the inaugural Eyelands Book Awards. The prize included a five-night stay in Athens - one of my favourite cities - a thrilling ceremony at the central Polis Cafe and a beautiful ceramic trophy. I can’t say how grateful I am to Grigoros Papadoyiannis and the Eyelands team for the wonderful evening and fabulous stay. I had a great balcony overlooking Lycabettus Hill which I climbed one warmish afternoon to see the whole of Athens, and I was located close to the National Archaeology Museum, where I wandered for hours. Food along Benaki Street was REMARKABLE.
It is a rare thing to be awarded for the many, many hours that go into the publication of a book of short stories, so this has been an utter highlight of my writing experience. I’ll be back next year as a competition judge!
