The Mermaid of Black Conch

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The Mermaid of Black Conch
The Mermaid of Black Conch.jpg
First edition
Author Monique Roffey
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Peepal Tree Press
Publication date
2 April 2020 (2020-04-02)
Pages272
ISBN 978-1-84523-457-7
OCLC 1260160139

The Mermaid of Black Conch is the sixth novel by Monique Roffey, published in 2020.

Contents

Development

Roffey first conceived of the novel's mermaid during a 2013 trip to Charlotteville, Tobago. [1]

In 2019, Roffey launched a Crowdfunder campaign to fund a publicity campaign for the novel. [2] The novel was first published on 2 April 2020 by Peepal Tree Press. [3] The rights were later acquired by Vintage Publishing. [4]

Reception

The Mermaid of Black Conch won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year award. [5] The novel was shortlisted for the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize, [6] and longlisted for the 2021 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. [7]

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References

  1. Flood, Alison (26 January 2021). "'Utterly original' Monique Roffey wins Costa book of the year". The Guardian . ISSN   1756-3224. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. Mansfield, Katie (5 September 2019). "Roffey launches PR campaign Crowdfunder for next novel". The Bookseller . Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. "The Mermaid of Black Conch". Peepal Tree Press . Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. "The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey to be Published by Vintage in Paperback". Blake Friedmann. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. Sanderson, David (27 January 2021). "Monique Roffey's The Mermaid of Black Conch wins Costa Book of the Year" . The Times . Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  6. "The Mermaid of Black Conch". Goldsmiths Prize . Goldsmiths, University of London. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  7. "The Mermaid of Black Conch". Orwell Prize . The Orwell Foundation. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.