Scottish-Kenyan author Mara Menzies scoops top prize for debut novel

Mara Menzies’ debut novel Blood and Gold earned a top prize at Scotland’s National Book Awards last night.

The Scottish-Kenyan author scooped Best Fiction Book of the Year at the Saltire Society event, against competition from Booker prize-winning author Douglas Stuart for Young Mungo, as well as Emma Grae, Alice Albinia, James Robertson, and Rachelle Atalia.

Blood and Gold, which began as a performance piece which at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, follows a young Scottish-African girl as she journeys into her late mothers box of “myths, legends, histories, memories, ideas, languages and folk tales”.

Celebrating the tradition of oral storytelling, it was first dictated by Mara and then shaped into a ‘written’ book.

And the novel, published by independent outfit Birlinn, accompanies the written story with illustrations by Edinburgh artist Eri Griffin.

“I am so overwhelmed and humbled to be part of such illustrious company,” said Mara as her win was announced at the ceremony in Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre.

“And there are more people involved in the creation of Blood and Gold than is possible to thank.”