{"id":37492,"date":"2008-07-12T10:24:46","date_gmt":"2008-07-12T17:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lookingcloser.wordpress.com\/?p=3680"},"modified":"2013-03-24T16:37:01","modified_gmt":"2013-03-24T22:37:01","slug":"many-many-thanks-to-the-christy-award-judges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lookingcloser\/2008\/07\/many-many-thanks-to-the-christy-award-judges\/","title":{"rendered":"Many Thanks to the Christy Award Judges. (Updated. What *is* Christian fiction, anyway?)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Many thanks, again, to those who chose the nominees for this year\u2019s Christy Awards. I\u2019m told it is a rare honor to have a book nominated in two categories, and this year, Auralia\u2019s Colors<\/em> was nominated for Best First Novel and \u201cVisionary\u201d (best fantasy novel). I am still recovering from the surprise.<\/p>\n

(UPDATE: The judges decided that Stephen R. Lawhead\u2019s Scarlet<\/em> was the year\u2019s best Christian fantasy novel, and that The Stones Cry Out<\/em> <\/span>by Sibella Giorello was the best first novel in Christian fiction. <\/span>Congratulations to Lawhead and to Giorello.) <\/strong><\/p>\n

It was an encouragement to see Auralia\u2019s Colors<\/em> included alongside books by such admirable writers.<\/p>\n

It was also quite surprising. I don\u2019t consider Auralia\u2019s Colors<\/em> to be \u201cChristian fiction\u201d \u201a\u00c4\u00ee in fact, in interviews I\u2019ve insisted that it did not really make much sense in such a narrow category. Don\u2019t get me wrong: I\u2019m thrilled when Christians discover Auralia\u2019s Colors<\/em>. But frankly, I didn\u2019t write it with that audience in mind. I wrote it hoping that it would be read and enjoyed by the same wide range of people who appreciate The Hobbit<\/em>, or Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince<\/em>, or Bridge to Terabithia<\/em>, or A Wrinkle in Time<\/em>. All of those books were written by Christian writers, but I\u2019ve never heard them described as \u201cChristian fiction,\u201d and I don\u2019t think any of them ever won a Christian book award.<\/p>\n

What makes a book \u201cChristian fiction\u201d? The truth that it reveals? The beauty of its craftsmanship? The publisher identified on the spine of the book? The author\u2019s worldview? The \u201cmessage\u201d of the story?<\/p>\n

I know of Christian novelists who win prestigious awards for their literary achievement, but they\u2019re ignored in the realm of \u201cChristian fiction.\u201d What would have qualified them? A religious publisher? Some kind of deliberate attempt within the story to persuade the reader that Jesus is Lord?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve asked this question before<\/a>, and I\u2019m still curious, so I\u2019ll raise it again: Where is the recognition for Sara Zarr\u2019s Story of a Girl<\/em><\/strong>, which was a fantastic first novel that was nominated for the National Book Award<\/strong>? There\u2019s already a film in the works, developed by well-known, immensely talented artists. Sara speaks openly about her Christian faith in interviews. Was it the fact that she wasn\u2019t published by a Christian press that kept her out of the running? I\u2019m rather baffled. I don\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad that the judges appreciated the book, and I\u2019m grateful. I was especially excited for the folks at WaterBrook Press, who took a gamble on a rather unusual book, and who helped me shape my first novel and share it with the world. They deserve all the credit they get and more.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m no closer to understanding the distinction. And I hope Auralia\u2019s Colors<\/em> will be assessed with the same tough standards as any work of fiction in the general \u2018Fantasy\u2019 section, and not explained as some kind of particular, \u201creligious\u201d fiction.<\/p>\n

Anyway\u2026 whatever the thinking was behind the scenes, I am grateful for the vote of encouragement from the Christy judges.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks, again, to those who chose the nominees for this year\u2019s Christy Awards. I\u2019m told it is a rare honor to have a book nominated in two categories, and this year, Auralia\u2019s Colors was nominated for Best First Novel and \u201cVisionary\u201d (best fantasy novel). I am still recovering from the surprise. (UPDATE: The judges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[520,2554],"class_list":["post-37492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journal","tag-christian-is-a-bad-adjective","tag-christy-awards"],"yoast_head":"\nMany Thanks to the Christy Award Judges. (Updated. What *is* Christian fiction, anyway?)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many thanks, again, to those who chose the nominees for this year's Christy Awards. 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