Borders Announces 2009 Original Voices Award Winners
By: PR Newswire | 14 Jan 2010 | 12:46 PM ET
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan 14, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Borders today announced the winners of its 2009 Original Voices Awards. Borders created the Original Voices program 14 years ago to recognize original and compelling works by new authors in such categories as Fiction, Non-Fiction and Children/Young Adult. Each winner will receive $5,000 from Borders in recognition of their individual achievements in producing innovative works. In addition, the winning titles will be featured in the company's more than 500 Borders stores nationwide.
Fiction "The Calligrapher's Daughter," by Eugenia Kim and published by Henry Holt, takes top honors in the Original Voices Fiction Category. Inspired by the life of Kim's Korean mother, "The Calligrapher's Daughter" is a sweeping coming-of-age story of Najin Han, born in 1910 at the start of the Japanese occupation of Korea. The story follows her life first as a privileged daughter of a tradition-bound father, then as student, patriot and humanitarian in the midst of a then crumbling Korean culture. "It's a thought-provoking novel that will stick with you after reading it because of its atmosphere, life lessons and historical perspective," according to the Original Voices selection committee.