Red Dust Road named Scottish Book of the Year
30th August 2011
Jackie Kay's Red Dust Road has beaten off competition from 90 other works to be named the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year.
Kay was born to a Scottish nurse and a Nigerian father before being adopted in infancy by a white couple, and the autobiographical novel follows the author's search to find her birth parents.
It is the first time the public has voted for the winner of the award, which carries a prize of GBP 30,000, although the judging panel was also unanimous in agreement about the winning title.
Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Creative Scotland, described Kay as a 'national treasure' and said the pedigree of this year's candidates is indicative of the breadth of literary talent in the country.
Kay added: 'I happened to write the book, but it feels like my whole family is the winner. The book doesn't just belong to me.'