Announcing the 2025 Long list for the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses
I cannot believe we've made it to Year 9.
Each prize year is different. Last year it was all about works in translation. Some years collections of short stories fill most of the berths. We had a year of two winners. This year is different again.
As I’ve said before the long list is always my favourite moment in the prize cycle. It spreads the most love. It’s also the most honest moment. There’s seldom one standout book, and reducing 10 to 5 is always the most difficult stage of the judging, because we know when it comes to talking about individual merits of very good books there is no good way of choosing between them. It’s not apples and oranges, but apples and grasshoppers, and flowerpots - just think of another category and then another. It’s like that.
So how did we get to this particular long list. It’s the same every year: a combination of what is submitted, the founding principle of the prize, and the taste of the judges. After being present at 9 years of judging I would say there were more “differences of opinion” this year. What does this mean? The obvious answer is there must be some kind of “compromise” or “horse trading”, something less pure that if everyone agreed that these are the best ten books. But I don’t think so. It means it could have been different long list, which speaks to the range and quality in small press publishing, and also the increased range of heavy lifting small presses are having to do these days. Apart from no collections of short stories (first time – sorry!), this might be, in terms of tone, the broadest long list we’ve had. I think this is to be celebrated. Small presses shouldn’t just be regarded as an outpost of publishing, supporting the commercially unviable. Small press should be known for what they in fact do: publish what they love, what they believe in, whether it has more or less commercial potential. This long list is a great example of that.
In no particular order, with comments from the judges.
Splice for Daybook by Nathan Knapp
Our judges said: “A strange, sombre novel in which a troubled young writer unpacks the legacy of his religious upbringing. Told in the form of a memoir by a narrator prone to Bernhardian digressions, it devolves into a quietly absorbing meditation on literature, mortality and sexual shame.”
CB Edition for Invisible Dogs by Charles Boyle
Our judges said: “An offbeat, elegantly written tale about two authors marooned an exchange programme in an unnamed totalitarian country. The narrative voice is great company, by turns droll, plaintive and ruminative. It’s whimsical but controlled, and surprisingly compulsive for a largely plotless novel.”
Bullaun Press for There’s A Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood & Laëtitia Saint-Loubert
Our judges said: “A rollicking, sardonic picaresque set on the French outpost of La Réunion in the. 1980s. The novel has important things to say about colonialism and society, but it’s also tremendous fun — darkly funny, acerbic, energetic. There’s scarcely a dull moment on the page, and the translation is remarkably slick.”
Peninsula Press for Mother Naked by Glen James Brown
Our judges said: “Set in the fifth century and narrated by an irrepressible bard called Mother Naked, this novel is bawdy, funny and tragic. The voice of Mother Naked is entirely authentic. Both an entertaining read and a serious work of historical fiction.”
Les Fugitive for Célina by Catherine Axelrad, translated by Philip Terry
Our judges said: “Celina is a quiet book, written with great integrity. It tells the story of a young woman, born into poverty, who works as a maid in the household of Victor Hugo. In restrained and unsentimental prose it illuminates lives forgotten by history.”
Scotland Street Press for Somewhere Else by Jenni Daiches
Our judges said: “A family saga which manages to be both intimate and epic, this novel travels seamlessly across countries, cultures and characters. It is beautifully structured and deeply moving, gradually revealing how trauma is met by resilience across the decades.”
Holland House Books for Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings
Our judges said: “Set in contemporary South Africa, this novel features an extra-ordinary main character who is entirely engaging despite never becoming likeable. The writing is gritty and uncompromising. This is both a portrait of a woman who cannot escape from the past and an investigation of a country in crisis.”
Divided Publishing for How to Leave the World by Marouane Bakhti, translated by Lara Vergnaud
Our judges said: “An urgent, bleakly funny, fragmentary account of displacement, queer desire, and finding a place in the world. Using a collage technique, Bakhti has produced an outstanding novel about identity and endurance.”
Prototype for The Seers by Sulaiman Adonia
Our judges said: “A provocative, multi-faceted gem. Full of fierce anti-colonial rage and subtle artistry, addressing what it means to be a migrant in today’s fractured Britain.”
Rough Trade for Good Lord by Ella Frears
Our judges said: “A taut, brilliantly sustained novel in fluent verse. A mordantly witty tirade against the dark forces of toxic masculinity and the Wild West that is today’s property rental market.”
Each long listed press will receive £500. The short list will be announced at the end of February. Each short listed press will receive a further £1000, to be split 70% press / 30% writer (and translator). The winner, as always, gets the glory.
There will be a short list reading on the 13th of March at The Deptford Lounge, part of Lewisham Libraries. More to follow.
The winner event will be held at Foyles Charing Cross Road, London. April 1st. More to follow.
Thank you for this year’s judges: Alice Jolly, Houman Barekat & Jude Cook.
And a big thank you to all our sponsors and partners, including all those who support us via the RofC Book of the Month Club. And welcome to the Fondation Jan Michalski and Lewisham Libraries.
