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Natalie Gregory has won the 2023 Primadonna Prize, securing a book contract with HQ, an advance of £7,500 for world English rights and the chance to work with Curtis Brown’s Alice Lutyens, who will develop her shortlisted piece into a publishable book.
The Primadonna Prize is for unsigned and unrepresented new writing talent. It was established to open up access to the publishing industry and is judged anonymously and without regard to grammar or spelling.
Announced on stage at the Primadonna Festival on Friday 28th July by Lisa Milton, executive publisher for HQ, Mills & Boon and Pavilion Books, Gregory’s winning submission, Eating the Spirit, was described as “a tale of hope and grief, the struggles of motherhood and the trauma of silence, inspired by Natalie’s own Thai roots".
The judges said Gregory beat a shortlist dominated by working-class, original and imaginative writers, and praised her entry for its “haunting eloquence” and “enduringly hopeful tone”.
They continued: “A compelling exploration of motherhood, grief and cultural identity, the piece, and the novel it stems from, tells the story of Lin, a first-time mother of Thai-English descent, who travels across Thailand with her young baby, desperate to connect in some way to her own mother who has died. Interwoven with magic realism and long-lost recipes, the reader is transported to another time and place where the harsh reality of a devastating political past comes to light.”
Talking about her winning piece, Gregory said: “I am so honoured that the judges have seen potential in my work. This novel means so much to me. I started writing the manuscript in 2017 after my mother passed away just shy of my son’s first birthday. Back then I needed to write in order to heal and make sense of what it means to be a mother, but the project slowly evolved as I began to research Thailand’s long and problematic relationship with democracy: the endless cycle of military coups, our notorious lese-majeste laws, and the violent crackdowns on peaceful protests.
“I hope readers will connect with my protagonist’s personal journey through grief and motherhood. But I also hope people will see the complexities of Thai culture and politics and realise that there is so much beautiful depth beneath the surface of sunny beaches and buckets of cocktails."
Entrants were initially asked to submit 500 previously unpublished words on the theme of this year’s competition, “renewal”. Those shortlisted from the first round were invited to submit entries of 3,000 to 5,000 words. All submissions were read anonymously by a team of judges including Milton as head judge alongside agent Lutyens, author Andi Osho, ED public relations’ associate director Shona Abhyankar, founder and chief executive of New Writing North Claire Malcolm MBE and writer Elissa Soave, who won the inaugural Primadonna Prize in 2019, and whose debut novel Ginger and Me was published by HQ in July 2022.
Milton said: “When we first read Eating the Spirit, we were gripped by Natalie’s ability to transport the reader so effortlessly and weave complex cultural and political issues into the family dynamics of the story. We could smell the spices, almost taste the food, so vivid is her use of language. The shortlist was of such a high calibre so it was difficult to choose just one winner but we are delighted for Natalie and this hauntingly beautiful debut. I’m excited to welcome her to HQ.”
Osho added: “I was truly honoured to be a judge for the Primadonna Prize. The quality of writing from the entrants was superb and it was inspiring to delve into worlds I’d never experienced before through their work. I’m thrilled for our winner but also so, so impressed with all the finalists and am sure they’ll go on to great things.”
Festival director, Catherine Riley commented: “I’m genuinely excited for this year’s winner, perhaps more than any other year: to find out that you’re going to be published by HQ, and get an advance on your book deal, is the stuff of dreams. It’s a privilege to be part of Primadonna, and a privilege to witness dreams coming true. Congratulations to everyone who took part, and to those who didn’t win: keep writing. You never know where it might lead you.”
Also announced at the Primadonna Festival were the winners of the Claire Mannion Literary Endeavour Prize, awarded to two of the shortlistees, Jo Morey and Claire Allen for their pieces Lime Juice Money and Sea Glass. They have each been offered mentorship or writing feedback from previous Primadonna shortlisted writers, Farah Ahamed and Elissa Soave.
Set up to honour Claire Mannion, a previous shortlistee of the Primadonna Prize, following her death in January 2023 at the age of just 42, the Claire Mannion Literary Endeavour Prize hopes to continue her legacy of supporting and helping fellow writers.