Women's Prize for Fiction ‘greatest honour' as an intersex woman, says winner
Dutch author Yael van der Wouden won the accolade for her debut novel, The Safekeep
(left to right) Yael van der Wouden, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, Queen Camilla, Charlotte Wood, Percival Everett, and Samantha Harvey during a reception for the Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House, London
(Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire )
The winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction has said the award is "the greatest honour of my life as a woman" as she reflected on her experience growing up intersex.
Dutch author Yael van der Wouden won the accolade for her debut novel, The Safekeep, and used her winner's speech to champion the trans community, who have "changed the system" and "fought for health care".
The book, which explores repressed desire and the unresolved aftermath of the Holocaust in post-Second World War Netherlands, was described as an "astonishing debut" by the head of the judges.
The ceremony, held in central London on Thursday, saw the non-fiction prize awarded to physician Dr Rachel Clarke for The Story Of A Heart, which explores the human experience behind organ donation.
In her winner's speech, after thanking the judges, van der Wouden said: "I was a girl until I turned 13, and then, as I hit puberty, all that was supposed to happen did not quite happen.
"And if it did happen, it happened too much, and all at once my girlhood became an uncertain fact.
Article continues below
"I won't thrill you too much with the specifics, but the long and the short of it is that, hormonally, I'm intersex.
"This little fact defined my life throughout my teens, until I advocated for the health care that I needed.
"The surgery and the hormones that I needed, which not all intersex people need. Not all intersex people feel at odds with their gender presentation.
"I mention the fact that I did, because in the few precious moments here on stage, I am receiving, truly, the greatest honour of my life as a woman, presenting to you as a woman, and accepting this Women's Prize.
"And that is because of every single trans person who's fought for health care, who changed the system, the law, societal standards, themselves. I stand on their shoulders."
The NHS website says intersex, or differences in sex development (DSD), is a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs that mean a person's sex development is different to most.
In contrast, people who are transgender identify as a gender separate to the sex they were born in and sometimes go through gender-affirming surgery.
Van der Wouden's novel follows Isabel, a young woman whose life in solitude is upended when her brother's girlfriend Eva comes to live in their family house in what turns into a summer of obsession, suspicion and desire.
The chairwoman of the judges for the fiction prize, writer Kit de Waal, said: "This astonishing debut is a classic in the making, a story to be loved and appreciated for generations to come. Books like this don't come along every day."
Van der Wouden will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition bronze statuette known as the Bessie, which was created and donated by artist Grizel Niven.
The judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction included novelist and journalist Diana Evans, author and journalist Bryony Gordon, writer and magazine editor Deborah Joseph, and musician and composer Amelia Warner.
Clarke said she has "literally been a feminist since I was too young to know what that word even meant", as she collected her award.
The physician's book recounts two family stories, documenting how medical staff take care of nine-year-old Kiera in her final hours after a car accident, while offering a new life to nine-year-old Max who is suffering from heart failure from a viral infection.
Clarke, who is behind the books Breathtaking and Your Life In My Hands: A Junior Doctor's Story, will receive £30,000 and a limited-edition piece of art known as the Charlotte, both gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
The judging panel for the non-fiction prize included writer and broadcaster Dr Leah Broad, whose work focuses on women's cultural history, and novelist and critic Elizabeth Buchan.
Article continues below
Previous winners of the fiction prize include Tayari Jones for An American Marriage and Madeline Miller for The Song Of Achilles, while the first non-fiction prize was awarded last year to Naomi Klein for Doppelganger: A Trip Into The Mirror World.
The awards were announced by the Women's Prize Trust, a UK charity that aims to "create equitable opportunities for women in the world of books and beyond".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
5 hours ago
- Spectator
The problem with psychiatrists? They're all depressed
Edinburgh seems underpopulated this year. The whisky bars are half full and the throngs of tourists who usually crowd the roadways haven't materialised. There's a sharp chill in the air too. Anoraks and hats are worn all day, and anyone eating outdoors in the evening is dressed for base camp. Perhaps tourists don't want to travel because they're too depressed. That's the specialism of Dr Benji Waterhouse, an NHS shrink, who writes and performs comedy about his patients. Dr Benji is an attractive presence on stage with his crumpled Oxfam clothes and his dreamy, half-shaven look. He could be the guy who tunes up U2's guitars. His act is very funny and it contains some amazing revelations. Morale among mental-health care workers is permanently low for a simple reason: all psychiatrists are depressed, including him. That's what forces them into the profession. Dr Benji was doomed from the start because both his parents were psychologists, and his career hasn't cheered him up. At work, he finds that common sense is just as useful as clinical knowledge. He treated a patient named Femi who declared that he was a 3,000-year-old werewolf. 'I can feel the beast in me!' he raged. Dr Benji showed him his watch. 'It's 9 a.m., Femi. Werewolves sleep by day.' Femi abandoned his role-play instantly. Many patients just want a bit of friendship and attention and their therapists are merely glorified social workers or paid companions. When Dr Benji grew disenchanted with his dead-end job he booked an appointment with an NHS shrink who diagnosed depression and prescribed a course of pep pills. Couldn't Dr Benji have done that himself? It seems that lots of mental-health staff, perhaps all of them, suffer from psychiatric disorders that require regular consultations and bottles of drugs. That's why no one can get an appointment. All the NHS shrinks are seeing other NHS shrinks. Another pill-popper, Rosie O'Donnell, delivers an hour-long sermon about moving to Ireland from the US. Her first stop is the local pharmacy where she stocks up on Imodium, a laxative and a bag of painkillers disguised as sweets for her daughter, Dakota. O'Donnell wants us to believe that she was drummed out of her homeland by Donald Trump who threatened to revoke her citizenship. In fact, he issued the threat after she'd moved to Ireland but this little error enhances her status as a victim of 'the Orange Menace'. The bulk of the show is devoted to O'Donnell's skills as a single mother and she rates herself very highly. When Dakota was little she was allowed to watch a lot of movies and TV quizzes and she liked to impress the adults by quoting film scripts and repeating trivial information learned from game shows. O'Donnell deduced that Dakota was a genius. An autism test was arranged. Dakota secured the coveted diagnosis and her mother was thrilled, of course. It didn't occur to O'Donnell that Dakota was receiving emotional rewards for performing deeds that matched the personality type mapped out by the adults. She wasn't exceptional, just obedient. Eventually people like O'Donnell will realise that autism is a condition affecting over-competitive parents who refuse to accept that their children are average. This explains the prevalence of autism in Hollywood. Dakota has since embraced a non-binary alter ego named 'Clay'. O'Donnell found this exciting too. 'When your child tells you who they are, you listen,' she declares. Well, not always. When your son says he's Superman you don't lead him to the uppermost floor and open the window. Hold The Line, by Sam Macgregor, examines a neglected area of the NHS. Gary works at a 111 call centre that handles queries from patients with non-emergency problems. The office rules are pretty oppressive. Gary's browser history is inspected by his female boss who checks that he isn't watching movies in between calls. After making an error that results in a patient's death, Gary is demoted to clerical duties and he has to redeem himself and prove his value to the NHS. This is a small and exceptionally well-acted drama that has a lot of promise. It deserves to be restaged with more than two actors and a longer running time. Eggs Aren't That Easy To Make follows the story of a lesbian couple who invite a male friend to help them have a child. The technical term 'spuncle' describes his role. Maria Telnikoff's amusing script develops into a middle-class comedy of manners that could easily become a TV series. The storyline has endless possibilities. Ivor Dembina, an elder statesman of Jewish comedy, teases the crowd by asking them to identify anti-Semitic stereotypes. 'All Jews are stingy,' someone calls out and Dembina replies, 'Yeah, if only I'd had a fiver every time I heard that one.' At this year's fringe he heard a brilliant heckle. He asked for 'false myths about Jews' and someone said, 'They're all funny.'
Wales Online
14 hours ago
- Wales Online
Strictly Come Dancing star's mum almost died after terrifying brain condition
Strictly Come Dancing star's mum almost died after terrifying brain condition Social Media star George Clarkey is set to compete on this year's Strictly Come Dancing alongside the likes of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Dani Dyer Strictly Come Dancing star George Clarkey has bravely shared the heartbreaking moment his mum was left without any memory after suffering a terrifying brain condition. The YouTuber is among the famous faces heading to the iconic ballroom in hopes of impressing the judges and viewers at home with his dance moves. The social media star is set to compete against the likes of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Balvinder Sopal for the Glitterball Trophy. Ahead of his Strictly debut, an emotional video has resurfaced where the star opened up about a haunting moment when his mum almost died after suffering a terrifying brain condition. The content creator then explained how his mum was diagnosed with a brain inflammation called encephalitis. Youtuber George Clarke has joined the latest Strictly Come Dancing line-up (Image: BBC/PA Wire) This Morning star forced to change after getting text from boss on air READ MORE: Describing the harrowing day, George admitted: 'There is a side to me I don't think I have ever shown you. A more serious side was back in 2015, my family thought we'd have to live without my mum, which makes me feel bad for the initial joke now.' Giving his followers an insight into the heartbreaking moment, he explained: 'Where better to start than at the beginning. I shut out my mother foo-foo in December 99, proud memories. 'I was a hefty baby that she didn't mind, which I think is a good insight into the type of person that she is, kind. "She always went above and beyond for me and my sister, making cards, cakes, and chocolate bars. The latter probably best displays her disgusting sense of humour.' Content cannot be displayed without consent He recalled: 'One day, all of that changed when I saw her being wheeled out of our house in a wheelchair, and she looked at me as if she had never seen me before. "So basically the whole of that summer was spent visiting her and her relearning who she was and who we were." Fighting back tears, he went on to say: 'I'd always known that she is amazing, but the fact that she overcame a 20% chance of survival in intensive care. "She has permanently lost her long-term memories, she's lost her taste and her smell." Article continues below George added: 'She has no sense of direction anymore, and to come out of all of that and apologise to us for what she has put us through is really a testament to how lucky we are that she's still here. I am lucky enough to hear that God-awful cackle.' Strictly is due to make its comeback on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September.
Scottish Sun
18 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Aldi is selling a dupe of popular noughties alcoholic drink – and it ‘tastes just like Ribena'
It joins two other flavours in the Tangz range RETRO REFRESHMENT Aldi is selling a dupe of popular noughties alcoholic drink – and it 'tastes just like Ribena' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALDi has launched a new boozy treat that's sending shoppers straight back to the noughties. The popular supermarket has released a brand new tipple - Tangz Blackcurrant Sour Liqueur. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 At just £6.99, it's a whopping 38 per cent cheaper than rival brand Sourz Credit: PA:Press Association 3 The new Tangz flavour is said to taste similar to a popular blackcurrant fruit drink Credit: ALDI Hitting shelves across the UK from August 21, the liqueur is priced at £6.99 for a 70cl bottle, and packs a bold berry punch with a sweet-and-sour twist. And it's said to "taste just like Ribena" which will be great news for fans of the classic blackcurrant drink after the brand announced it was discontinuing its sparkling drinks range. Aldi's latest tipple channels those nostalgic flavours, but with an adult-friendly kick. Berry blast from the past Inspired by one of Britain's best-loved blackcurrant soft drinks, Tangz Blackcurrant brings that unmistakable Ribena-like flavour in a swanky, spirit-infused form. At just £6.99, it's a whopping 38 per cent cheaper than rival brand Sourz - which is currently being sold for £11.25 at Tesco, or £8.25 if you have a Clubcard. Drinkers are already getting creative: enjoy it neat over ice for a neat berry hit, or mix with lemonade for a fizzy summer spritz. The Sour Blackcurrant bottle joins two other Tangz flavours: Sour Apple and Sour Cherry. Both have been on Aldi shelves for a while, also priced at £6.99. Other nostalgic drinks making a comeback It's part of a nostalgic wave sweeping supermarket aisles—retro-style sips that marry childhood flavours with alcohol, giving shoppers that familiar zing with a grown-up edge. Other recent launches have tapped into the same trend. Hooper's Hooch, the iconic 90s alcopop, has returned in draught form across pubs nationwide, offering its zesty lemon hit in pint glasses for the first time in decades. What to do next if you have recalled food or products Marks & Spencer's creamy advocaat has also been a festive hit, with drinkers likening it to a 'boozy milkshake' that brings back cosy Christmas memories. Even Babycham, the sparkling perry that was once a party staple, is making a comeback in chic little bottles, still sweet, still bubbly, and still full of retro charm. It's not just booze getting the retro treatment. High-street shelves have seen the return of Panda Pops, the fizzy fruit drinks once found in school tuck shops, and limited-edition bottles of J20 Glitterberry, a sparkling grape and cherry mix popular at Christmas. NHS guidelines on drinking alcohol According to the NHS, regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks: men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. You read more on the NHS website. Ribena itself has also revived its classic glass-bottle cordial for a short run, aimed at fans who remember pouring it over ice on long summer days. Even Lilt, the tropical fizzy drink 'with the totally tropical taste' – had shoppers talking recently when Coca-Cola re-branded it under the Fanta name.
