Knight, Mortimer and Craig shortlisted for Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction

India Knight’s Darling (Fig Tree), Bob Mortimer’s The Satsuma Complex (Gallery) and Fergus Craig’s Murder at Crime Manor (Sphere) have been shortlisted for the 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction.

The award is the UK’s longest running prize for comic fiction. Last year’s winner was Percival Everett for his "bold, provocative" novel The Trees (Influx Press). The six books on this year’s shortlist, chosen from 73 submissions, are described as "the funniest novels of the past 12 months, which best evoke the Wodehouse spirit of witty characters and perfectly timed comic phrases".

Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham (Europa Editions) is also on this year’s list, as is Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan (Serpent’s Tail). The final title in the running is Sophie McCartney’s Mother Hens (HarperNorth).

The winner of this year’s prize will be announced in November at a reception in London. They will be awarded a jeroboam of Bollinger Special Cuvée, a case of Bollinger La Grande Année, the complete set of the Everyman’s Library P G Wodehouse collection and a pig named after their winning book. 

Festival producer and co-director of The European Festivals Forest Peter Florence and comedian Pippa Evans were on the judging panel for this year’s prize, as was Everyman’s Library publisher David Campbell and comedian Sindhu Vee. They were joined by broadcaster and author James Naughtie and Hay Festival vice-president and director of National Trust Wales Justin Albert.

Chair of the judges Florence commented: “Reading this shortlist is a joy. The bubbling up of laughter, the delight at the grace of good writing, and the sheer pleasure of responding to the world with humour has never seemed so vital. There’s a whole spectrum here of farce, satire, parody, and a gentler, witty geniality that the jury commend to you, warmly and with confidence."

Victoria Carfantan, director of Champagne Bollinger, Group Bollinger UK & Global Partnerships, added: “From the submissions that have been received, 2023 has clearly been a stellar year for comic fiction. Curl up with a glass of Bollinger and any of these six wonderful novels and let the laughter flow. You won’t be disappointed.”