Borders's 2005 Original Voices awards, "for outstanding achievement in
crafting creative, original books and music," have been announced:
The six nominees in each category were chosen by Borders store and corporate employees. Winners were selected by a panel of judges at the main office. Each winner receives $5,000 and will be honored at BEA.
- Fiction: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Norton). The author was commended for "a masterful job of interweaving many story lines, bringing them all together in a moving and meaningful way, and the ending is pitch-perfect, down to the last line."
- Nonfiction: Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin (Penguin Press). Larkin's account of traveling around Burma was cited for "an interesting perspective on how intellect survives the worst of humanity while still retaining a high standard of dignity. It is an eloquent and poetic blend of travel narrative, literary criticism and political commentary."
- Children's picture book: Russell the Sheep written and illustrated by Rob Scotton (HarperCollins). The story about a sheep that can't sleep is "a playful, unique take on traditional bedtime and counting books and Russell is just plain darling."
- Young adult: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (FSG). This book about life after death offers "a fascinating concept of the afterlife and is ultimately a novel full of hope."
- Music: Careless Love by Madeleine Peyroux (Rounder Records Group). Peyroux's voice "first catches your ear, but it is her beautiful, laid back, melodic jazz treatments of everything from Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan to Hank Williams that keeps you listening."
The six nominees in each category were chosen by Borders store and corporate employees. Winners were selected by a panel of judges at the main office. Each winner receives $5,000 and will be honored at BEA.