Magee wins £10k InWords Literary Award for The Undertaking and The Colony

Audrey Magee has won the £10,000 InWords Literary Award (TILA) for her two novels; the Women’s Prize for Fiction-shortlisted The Undertaking (Atlantic Books), and The Colony (Faber), which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize.

The InWords Literary Award (TILA), launched at Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2021, is given annually to a writer in recognition of a novel or body of work of outstanding merit. The announcement of the 2023 winner was made by Nicola Tuxworth, head of programming at the Times and the Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, prior to Magee’s event on Saturday 14th October.

The award’s creators and funders are life patrons of Cheltenham Festivals who wish to remain anonymous. In a statement, they said: "These books, very different in subject matter, are vivid, complex works that explore the effects of power structures on the individual.

"Magee’s distinctive style, combined with her skilful plotting and rich depiction of character, time and place has resulted in novels that are compelling, haunting and unforgettable. These are outstanding works deserving of widespread acclaim and recognition."

The award went to Ali Smith last year, for her novel Companion Piece (Penguin) and her Seasonal Quartet of novels (Penguin).