Influx Press wins the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2018

Yesterday night, Attrib. and other stories by Eley Williams and published Influx Press won the young Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses - a literary prize which rewards the best fiction published by publishers with fewer than 5 full-time employees

The Prize was founded last year by author Neil Griffiths to reward small presses supporting "hard-core literary fiction and gorgeous prose".

Last year’s inaugural winner was Fitzcarraldo Editions for Counternarratives by John Keene.

In this year's shortlist you can find the following titles:

Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz, tr. Sarah Moses & Carolina Orloff (Charco Press)

Gaudy Bauble by Isabel Waidner (Dostoyevsky Wannabe)

Blue Self-Portrait by Noémi Lefebvre, tr. Sophie Lewis (Les Fugitives)

We that are Young by Preti Taneja (Galley Beggar Press)

Attrib. and other stories by Eley Williams (Influx Press)

Darker with the Lights on by David Hayden (Little Island Press)

We'd like to take this opportunity to focus on another book from the shortlist: Noémi Lefebvre's Blue Self-Portrait, whose translation by Sophie Lewis came out in June 2017, and which was pubslished by Les Fugitives.

Les Fugitives is a small publishing house headed by French translator Cécile Menon. Its aim is to enlarge the English-speaking literary landscape with short works by French-speaking women authors, whose talents are recognised in France, but who are pushed aside by other British publishing houses as they are judged too commercial or too "niche". Les Fugitives favours non-linear narratives. In Cécile Menon's words, Les Fugitives focuses on a type of writing which promotes a research in literature - which becomes obvious when you read the names of the authors which have been published: Ananda Devi, Nathalie Léger, Mireille Gansel and, of course, Noémi Lefebvre.

This year, the catalogue will also include a man author, whose book about Louise Bourgeois fits perfectly with the other books published until now.

A little detour by Les Fugitives' website will give you a glimpse of the mission they have set for themselves, to bring original literature from French to English, right into your hands.