Ian Penman wins £10k Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize for Fassbinder Thousands of Mirrors

Ian Penman has won the £10,000 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Ondaatje Prize for Fassbinder Thousands of Mirrors (Fitzcarraldo Editions), which judges praised for its evocation of post-war Germany. The award celebrates fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best conveys the "spirit of a place".

On collecting his prize from Jans Ondaatje Rolls — overseeing the ceremony on behalf of her father, Sir Christopher Ondaatje — Penman thanked the actor and filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder, on whom the book is based. "Without him there wouldn’t be this book," Penman said, "and I dedicate this award to him." 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the prize, which was instituted in 2004 by funder and co-founder Ondaatje and RSL president emeritus Sir Michael Holroyd. Ondaatje said: “The RSL Ondaatje Prize has now been given for twenty years. Exploring the theme of place has provided metaphors for my own stories. I am particularly proud of the diversity of places covered by our winners."
The winner was announced at an event held on 14th May at Two Temple Place in London. Among the guests were previous winners of the RSL Ondaatje Prize, including Edmund de Waal and Philip Hensher.

Chair of judges Xiaolu Guo commented: "This is the only book I have read twice this year. Truly it is thousands of mirrors in terms of the thoughts, images and references running through this reflective and wonderfully interior work. The world of European cinema, especially Fassbinder’s film seen through Ian Penman’s eyes, has transported me to a tantalising place called post-war Europe."
Fellow judges Francis Spufford and Jan Carson helped whittle down 194 entries, including novels, poetry and non-fiction. Last year’s winner was Anthony Anaxagorou, who was awarded the prize for Heritage Aesthetics (Granta Poetry).