The Saltire Society announced the winners of the 2019 Literary Awards at a glittering ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland on Saturday 30th of November 2019. Kirstie Blair, an English professor within the School of Humanities, received the prestigious Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award for her Working Verse in Victorian Scotland: Poetry, Press, Community (published by Oxford University Press).
As well as the prominent win for Scottish Book of the Year, Kirstie was also awarded The Saltire Scottish Research Book of the Year Award, supported by the National Library of Scotland.
Working Verse In Victorian Scotland: Poetry, Press, Community was selected as The Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year by a panel of judges from the winners of the five Literary Awards. The judges found its accessibility in subject and in its writing profound. The fact that it is an important, significant piece of research did not discolour its enjoyability, with laugh out loud moments and fascinating facts. The judges felt a warmth from it and to it.
The National Library of Scotland support the Saltire Society Scottish Research Book of the Year, and The National Library of Scotland's Associate Director of Collections and Research, Robin Smith said "It's not every day the winner of the research category scoops the overall Saltire prize, which demonstrates just what a compelling and important read Ms Blair's work is. Research adds to our collective understanding of the world around us, and sharing the resultant knowledge is just as important as the activity itself. We encourage and promote research on every subject imaginable at the National Library, and we're delighted to continue to support this award."
You can keep up-to-date with Kirstie's research here >>
Find out more about this year's Saltire Society 2019 Literary Awards here >>