RofC Prize for Small Presses, Short List 2025
A great short-list highlighting the extraordinary work of small presses in the UK and Ireland
The Meeting
I met the judges for brunch in a Turkish restaurant behind Paddington Station. Houman arrived first, then Alice, then Jude. Jude said he wasn’t a fan of brunch: too in between-y. I’m a big fan of brunch, but it does throw timings off. I had Eggs Benedict with turkey bacon which I read as bacon from Turkey given we were in a Turkish restaurant. We chatted for a while, at which point I said that Houman has the best writing gig: the New York Times’s London Theatre critic. We all agreed. It bode well.
Alice Jolly Houman Barekat Jude Cook
I had a hard stop at 1pm, so was eager to get onto discussing the long list, reducing it from 10 to 5 - the short list. I knew there was a lot of varied and shifting opinions on the books. I might go as far as to say I thought agreement might be a long way down the road.
In order to kick the discussion off I said, Can we try something, just to see where we are, with no requirement to stick with what happens. I won’t be specific about what I asked but it involved me writing down the titles of books. I wrote down six books but only 5 titles, if you get what I mean - one was repeated. And then read them out. The short-list, maybe? Houman was particular surprised, and for a moment thought I’d performed some kind of magic trick. All were sceptical. Can it be that easy? No, I said - almost never, but somehow … I mean. Maybe in this case. Alice had to write the list down herself. Meanwhile Jude’s brow knitted. More discussion was needed, surely? Yes, I said. It’s only a starting point.
I can’t reveal what happened next, but it was all over before Jude’s Shatshuka was finished.
I’m particularly pleased that we have 2 presses new to the prize: Ballaun Press and Divided Publishing. That we again support translated literature, with 3 on the list this year. And if I may, it is good to see Les Fugitives represented once again. I don’t know a publisher as brilliantly idiosyncratic as Cecile Lee - Les Fugitives books cannot be double-guessed. And finally, there probably isn’t a writer around these day as brilliantly idiosyncratic as Charles Boyle, and so I’m thrilled Invisible Dogs has made it.
There will be a short list reading event at the Deptford Lounge, supported by Lewisham Libraries. See here.
The Winner Event will be at Foyles on April 1st. If you’d like a ticket, email me at rofcprize@gmail.com
The Short List - in alphabetical order
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
