Beats husband Michael Frayn to scoop £25,000 prize

Claire Tomalin has won the prestigious 2002 Whitbread Book of the Year Award, for her book Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self, it was announced last night.  The former Sunday Times Literary Editor, hot favourite for the £25,000 award, ultimately beat her husband, Michael Frayn, also in the running for the award with Spies.

Sir John Banham, Chairman of Whitbread PLC, presented Tomalin with her cheque at the glittering ceremony in Central London.  In a moving acceptance speech, Tomalin regretted that there had to be a loser.  "There's a slight "no-win" situation," she said. As she said later, "If he had won, I would have been absolutely delighted for him too, as happy, possibly happier.  How can you weigh up pride in your own achievement with pride in the person you love best?"

Ian Hislop, chair of the final judging panel, said that the decision had been unanimous.  "There was no blood on the carpet.  There was quite a lot of discussion.  In the end, there was an overwhelming vote for the Pepys."   He praised Tomalin's ability to go "well beyond the source material…She brings the 17th century to life in a way that is difficult to do."

Tomalin's win is the first overall victory for a biography at the awards since 1991 and the first for a woman since Kate Atkinson's win in 1994.  As well as Spies, Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self, had to beat off competition from First Novel winner, Norman Lebrecht (The Song of Names), Poetry winner Paul Farley (The Ice Age) and Children's Book winner Hilary McKay (Saffy's Angel).  

The Whitbread Book Awards, now in their 32nd year, aim to celebrate the most enjoyable British writing of the past year.  The awards are unique for their celebration of the most enjoyable book of the year, regardless of category.  Last year's Whitbread Book of the Year was awarded to Philip Pullman for The Amber Spyglass, the first time that a children's book had been the overall winner.

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Notes for Editors:

1. The Whitbread Book Awards, now in their 32nd year, aim to encourage, promote and celebrate the best contemporary British writing. The Awards, established in 1971, confirm Whitbread - the leisure business - as one of the longest-running sponsors of British writing.
 2. The total prize fund for the Whitbread Book Awards now stands at £50,000, consisting of Whitbread Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book Award winners (£5,000 each) and the Whitbread Book of the Year winner (£25,000).
3.  To be eligible for the 2002 Awards, books must have been first published in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2001 and 31 October 2002.
4. Images can be downloaded from the Internet at www.whitbread-bookawards.co.uk
5. Since its introduction in 1985, the Whitbread Book of the Year has been won five times by a Novel, three times by a First Novel, three times by a Biography and five times by a collection of Poetry.  Last year, it was won for the first time by a children's book.