Writers put brave face on bad sex awards

There cannot be much good in bad sex, unless maybe it wins you a prize.

Two authors put on a brave face at being recognized for one of literatures most dubious accolades -- the Bad Sex in Fiction Award -- in a ceremony at London's In & Out Club in upmarket St. James's Square late Wednesday.

The prize was presented by American singer Courtney Love.

What organizers call Britain's "most dreaded literary prize" went to first time novelist Iain Hollingshead and "Twentysomething" for the "passage considered to be the most redundant in an otherwise excellent novel."

The award sponsors at Literary Review magazine said it was Hollingshead's "bulging trousers" which put him ahead of runner-up Tim Willocks for "The Religion."

"I am delighted to be the youngest ever recipient of the Literary Review's bad sex award," said 25-year-old Hollingshead. "I hope I win it every year."

Hollingshead is now part of a select club of writers that includes Tom Wolfe and Sebastian Faulks.

He collected a statue representing Sex in the 1950's and a bottle of champagne over shortlisted writers including Thomas Pynchon, Will Self and Irvine Welsh.

The review distributed selected passages of steamy and graphic prose from "Twentysomething" involving groans, grunts, squeaks and "flashing unconnected images and explosions of a million little particles."

The prize was founded by then Review editor Auberon Waugh, son of 20th century British novelist Evelyn Waugh, and a prominent journalist and satirist.

Now in its 14th year, the prize aims "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it."

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited

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