Author | Jane Gardam |
---|---|
Country | England |
Language | English |
Genre | Tragicomedy |
Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
Publication date | 2004 |
Pages | 320 |
ISBN | 9780349139494 |
Old Filth is a novel by English author Jane Gardam, published in 2004 by Chatto & Windus. A tragicomedy, the story focuses on a retired judge struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Women's Prize for Fiction.
Sir Edward Feathers is a retired judge of the Inner Temple, recently widowed and living in Dorset. Feathers looks back over the story of his life, from his early years in the British Raj to his legal career.
The Independent praised Gardam's ability to create "humorous and touching" characters and sharp dialogue, comparing the novel favourably to Paul Scott's Staying On . But the review also stated that the narrative was sometimes confusing. [1]
The Guardian said the novel was "Gardam's masterpiece" and commended the novel's ability to create interest in unappealing topics. [2]
The New York Times suggested Old Filth had the potential to improve Gardam's popularity in the United States. [3]
In 2015, a BBC survey of literary critics from outside the UK ranked Old Filth among the 100 greatest British novels. [4]
Old Filth was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2005. [5]
The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary award conferred each year for the best novel written in the English language, which was published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The winner of the Booker Prize receives international publicity that usually leads to a sales boost. When the prize was created, only novels written by Commonwealth, Irish, and South African citizens were eligible to receive the prize; in 2014, eligibility was widened to any English-language novel—a change that proved controversial.
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