Nielsen Book Award

At the Random House Authors’ Christmas party last week I was presented with this very nice award by Nielsen, who tabulate UK book sales – the Gold Book Award to mark the first 500,000 sales of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS in the UK. Pictured with me here are David Fickling and Bella Pearson who published/edited the novel.

Illustrated Boy

For the first time, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is available in a beautiful illustrated edition, courtesy of my Italian publisher Rizzoli.

The illustrations are by the Italian artist Gianni DeConno, who has done a fantastic job of creating new images of Bruno and Shmuel for this hardcover edition.

Last Days In Melbourne

My 3 weeks in Australia are drawing to a close but there are still a few events to finish. One of the highlights of the trip has been getting to know the wonderful Australian writer Morris Gleitzman, author of ‘Once’ and ‘Then’ (amongst others), two books which, like The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, explore the subject matter of the Holocaust through a child’s eye. Morris and I gave a joint interview yesterday at the festival which was broadcast live on the ABC. I think it was quite an interesting discussion. You can listen to the entire interview as a podcast on the ABC Bookshow website here.

With Morris Gleitzman

Orange Readers Group

The Orange Readers Group Book of the Year has been awarded to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS. From the Orange website:

 

John Boyne’s novel, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, (Black Swan) has been voted the Penguin Orange Readers’ Group Book of the Year.

Votes were collected via the Spinebreakers website and from people entering the 2009 Penguin Orange Readers’ Group Prize. The award had previously been won by Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, which remarkably claimed the top spot three years in a row.

The three favourite reading group books are:

1 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne, Black Swan

2 Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, ATOM

3 Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, Penguin

Author John Boyne said, “”I’m thrilled that The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas has been selected as the Penguin Orange Readers’ Group Book of the Year. From the day the novel was published, it has received extraordinary support from reading groups who debate the novel back and forth with all the passion and argument that good literature demands – I know, because I’ve been there for some of those debates! That the story of Bruno and Shmuel continues to move readers is a source of great encouragement to me as a writer. I’m very grateful to Penguin and Orange and all the readers who selected the novel for this prize.”

The Penguin Orange Readers’ Group Prize

Now in its eighth year, the prize is the UK’s only annual award for reading groups and forms part of Orange’s portfolio of literary partnerships

Berlin: Day 3

Our last full day in Berlin was devoted to press interviews in the morning before we visited the Holocaust Memorial (left) in the centre of Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate, for a television recording. An extraordinary public installation of concrete slabs through which visitors can walk, the memorial plays with your sense of perspective and space; inside it’s very quiet. One of the most fascinating works of public art/memorial I have ever seen.

Germany is the last country to release the film adaptation of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS and the premiere took place later in the evening as the opening night film in the 15th Berlin Jewish Film Festival. We also got a chance to see ‘Toyland’, this year’s Oscar-winning short film, which was presented by director Jochen-Alexander Freydank.

Thanks to everyone involved in the festival for making our stay so enjoyable.

Berlin: Day 2

Our second day in Berlin began with a visit to Potsdam where we were guests on RBB Radio, along with Nicola, the director of the Jewish Film Festival here in Berlin.

The festival runs here in Berlin from 4-14 May before going on tour.

 

 

 

 

In the evening I gave a reading at the Kathe Kollwitz Museum, alongside German actor August Zirner who read from the German translation of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS.

It was particularly good to hear the German characters of my novel read in a German accent. It also seems appropriate that the final stop on our movie tour is in Berlin, where the opening chapters of the novel are set.

BBC Radio 7

For anyone who hasn’t had more than their share of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS over the last few years, BBC Radio 7 is broadcasting the novel this weekend at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The novel is read by the very talented actress Anne-Marie Duff and nestled within the reading is an interview about the writing of the novel with the author, i.e. me.

Meanwhile Radio 4 continues its broadcast of THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE every night until May 8th and you can catch up with any episodes you’ve missed on the BBC iPlayer.

Nibbies Voting

Public voting for this year’s British Book Awards has opened and THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS in on the longlist for the Children’s Book of the Year.

And if you’re so inclined, you can vote for your book of choice here.

From BAFTA to IFTA

Hot on the heels of the news that THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is longlisted for 8 British Academy Awards comes the news that it has also been shortlisted for Best International Film at the Irish Film Awards – where it’s up against Man On Wire, Wall-E, and In Bruges – and also the Spanish Film Awards (the Goyas), where the competition is 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Dark Knight, and The Edge of Heaven.

New York Times #1

This weekend, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS has hit #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers Chart. When the hardback was published in 2006 it reached no.4 so it’s great to finally have a #1 over there! The book is also currently #1 in Ireland, Spain and the UK.

The film adaptation has gone wide in the States this weekend too, showing on over 400 screens, so if you’re in America check out the listings close to you at Fandango.