THE Irish writer William Trevor yesterday won the fourth David Cohen British Literature Prize worth £30,000 and requested that an additional award of £10,000, provided to enable the winner to support a young writer or literature organisation, be given to a young person from Omagh.
The writer said: "I would like this sum to become available to a young person of Omagh when he or she has completed a three-year period of training, someone who has expressed a wish to become a writer of fiction."
Yesterday in London, Prof Andrew Motion, chairman of the judges said: "In choosing William Trevor the judges recognise a genuinely versatile man of letters. William Trevor is best known as a master of the short story and a uniquely talented novelist. However, he has also written expertly for radio, television and theatre. His work represents a major contribution to literature."
Mr Trevor, replying after being presented with the prize, which is administered by the Arts Council of England, said: "I am honoured and delighted to received this splendid prize. Do I write with purpose? I say I write instinctively, and perhaps in writing a sense of curiosity is satisfied. All my life I have been the victim of storytelling's temptation."
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr Mo Mowlam, said: "It is a mark of William Trevor's generous spirit that he has made the young people of Omagh the focus of this bursary. All young people in Northern Ireland have voices which deserve to be heard."
She said that for them this bursary would be an unrivalled opportunity to realise their talents as writers and to develop a creative voice.
Dr Tess Hurson received the prize on behalf of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and of Omagh. She said it was a very generous gesture to the town. The award looked to the future. It encouraged creativity and would provide a wonderful opportunity for a young person to pursue a literary career.