来自美国的女作家Marilynne Robinson的小说《家》(Home)，在日前揭晓的英国著名女性文学奖- 桔子奖 (Orange Prize)评选中获胜。在所有获得提名的作家中，Robinson是相对最知名的一位，《家》是她的第三部小说。《家》的获奖没有任何争议，所有的评委一致把选票投给了她。小说讲述了一个回家的浪子，通过他的视角，回顾了不堪的过去，同时努力从酗酒的生活中挣脱。
现年66岁的Robinson从事写作已经有28年的时间，从产量来说，她并不是一位高产作家，但她仅有的三部作品都以质取胜。1981年，她出版了第一部作品。她的第二部小说《Gilead》获得了普利策文学奖。
虽然《家》的主题比较普通，但评委会主席，BBC4台的Fi Glover表示：“几位评委都选择了《家》，我们每个人心中的前三名的名单中都有这部作品，Robinson的获奖没有悬念。我喜欢她写作的风格，她的文字中有一种独特的魅力，这是一本充满智慧的小说，虽然是一个大家都熟悉的主题，但她在书中展现了自己独到的思想。《家》是一部深刻的作品。”
《独立报》的书评作家Salley Vickers评论《家》“不是以情节取胜的一部作品。就象奥斯汀的作品一样，它风格独特，Robinson表达的核心在于人与人之间的微妙情感。她通过自己细致入微的观察和全身心的体会，充分演绎了人对爱的渴求和追寻。
桔子奖是英国最著名的女性文学奖，只颁给女性作家的作品。桔子奖是与布克奖和Costa奖齐名的重要文学奖项。一般说来，获奖作品的市场前景都颇为乐观。
Prodigal son parable wins Orange Prize
In her 28 years of writing, Marilynne Robinson has been far from prolific. But the American author's track record for producing quality rather than quantity in fiction was confirmed last night when her third (and latest) novel won the prestigious Orange Prize.
The 66-year-old writer was the "unanimous" choice of the panel judging the women-only fiction award, presented at a ceremony in London's Royal Festival Hall. Her novel, Home, is a profound examination of family life told through the eyes of a prodigal son returning home to confront his past and his alcoholism.
Robinson was probably the best-known writer on the shortlist for the £30,000 award, now in its 14th year. Her first novel, Housekeeping, was published in 1981 and her following work, Gilead, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Fi Glover, the BBC Radio 4 broadcaster and chairwoman of the judges, said :"It was a unanimous verdict. It was quite an easy victory for Mary. All of us brought Home to the table. Some of us had other books but everyone had it in their final bundle of two or three titles. I loved the story for the quality of the writing, there was a luminous quality to her words. It is a very wise book in that she takes a familiar theme but she imparts great wisdom with it. It is a profound work of art."
Reviewing the novel for The Independent, the author Salley Vickers wrote: "Home is not a novel in which plot matters. Like Jane Austen, but in a different key, Robinson's intent focus is the super-subtleties of human exchange. The heart of this utterly absorbing, precisely observed, marvellous novel is the fumbling inadequacy of love."
The award, which rubs shoulders with the Booker and Costa as one of the most lucrative and respected English-language literary prizes, is likely to produce a sales fillip for Robinson,
（Source: Independent，英国使馆文化教育处提供）
