Ten Works Selected as Fifth Bookstore Grand Prix Nominations

The executive committee for the NPO Bookstore Grand Prix announced the nomination of ten works for the 2008 (fifth annual) grand prize. This first round of voting included 349 bookstores and 426 individuals, exceeding last year by 21. The deadline for the second round of voting on the ten selected works, which has already begun, is the end of February. The final announcement and award ceremony will be held on April 8 in Tokyo.

Any of the ten nominated works might be considered a reflection of the lineup of highly popular titles over the last year. There are works which have already received other literary prizes, such as Kazuki Sakuraba's "My Man," which was recently announced as the 138th winner of the Naoki Prize. Adaptations of television dramas are also prominent. The stream of new writers and works coming out in recent years has pulled readers in and revitalized the literary world. Kôtarô Isaka, whose current nomination represents his seventh, is a remarkably popular writer who has consistently been nominated every year. Others of interest include Sakuraba, who currently has two works up for nomination, as well as Tomihiko Morimi and Manabu Makime, both of whom have been nominated for the second consecutive year.

2008 Nominations for the Fifth Bookstore Grand Prix
1. "The Legend of the Akakuchibas" by Kazuki Sakuraba, Tokyo Sôgensha.
2. "The Villain" by Shûichi Yoshida, Asahi Shinbunsha.
3. "The Estatic Family" by Tomihiko Morimi, Gentôsha.
4. "The Movie Collection" by Kazuki Kaneshiro, Shûeisha.
5. "On the hill of Cassiopeia" by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Kôdansha.
6. "Golden Slumber" by Kôtarô Isaka, Shinchôsha.
7. "Sacrifice" by Fumie Kondô, Shinchôhsa.
8. "The Fantastic Deer Man" by Manabu Makime, Gentôsha.
9. "The Eighth Day of the Cicada" by Mitsuyo Kakuta, Chûô Kôronshinsha.
10. "My Man" by Kazuki Sakuraba, Bungei Shunjû.


*Some of the book titles are tentative translations.
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