Novelist Francesca Segal wins Sami Rohr Prize

Debut work ‘The Innocents’ garners the $100,000 Jewish Book Council first prize

11 April 2013, 9:32 am Edit

JTA — Novelist Francesca Segal won the 2013 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish literature for her debut novel, “The Innocents.”

Segal will receive the Jewish Book Council’s first prize award of $100,000. The novel is set in modern-day London, in a community living in the shadow of the Holocaust and the demands of tradition.

“Segal’s attention to details of Jewish traditions will deeply resonate with Jews of all communities,” the judges said.

The award ceremony will be held in New York on May 30.

The runner-up was Ben Lerner for his novel “Leaving the Atocha Station.” He will receive a $25,000 prize.

Other finalists were Shani Boianju for “The People of Forever Are Not Afraid”; Stuart Nadler for “The Book of Life”; and Asaf Schurr for “Motti.”

The Rohr prize has been given annually since 2007 and considers works of fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. It honors the contribution of contemporary writers in exploring and transmitting Jewish values.