American novelist Patricia Lockwood wins Dylan Thomas Prize

Acclaimed American novelist, essayist, and poet Patricia Lockwood has been awarded the prestigious Dylan Thomas Prize for her debut novel 'No One is Talking About This'. Also shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize and the Women’s prize for fiction 2021, Lockwood’s novel unpacks modern-day internet culture and its impact on the individual psyche with immense sensitivity and surreptitious humor.
Namita Gokhale, chair of judges, hailed the work as a "vital reflection on online culture today", calling Lockwood a "deeply timely winner" and "the voice of a generation of new writers who grew up under the constant pressures of real-time news and social media".

"No One Is Talking About This is a searingly witty and innovative take on modern-day internet culture and the experience of family trauma in the modern world," she said.
"The book’s flow of consciousness, almost diary-like in quality, is remarkably deft at capturing the psychological impact that simultaneous alienation and 'group think' life online has on us as individuals. Lockwood is an astonishing and wholly original new voice. We are delighted that the jury of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize decided on her debut novel as its choice for the 2022 prize. We cannot wait to see what comes next from this uncompromising talent," Gokhale added.

"This is a story about a life lived in two halves. It's about what happens when real life collides with the increasing absurdity of a world accessed through a screen," reads the blurb of 'No One is Talking About This'.

"It's about living in world that contains both an abundance of proof that there is goodness, empathy, and justice in the universe, and a deluge of evidence to the contrary. It's a meditation on love, language and human connection from one of the most original voices of our time," it adds.

Meanwhile, the other titles shortlisted for the 2021 Prize included, 'A Passage North' by Anuk Arudpragasam, 'Auguries of a Minor God' by Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, 'The Sweetness of Water' by Nathan Harris, 'Open Water' by Caleb Azumah Nelson, and 'Filthy Animals' by Brandon Taylor.