Jenni Fagan Wins 2025 Gordon Burn Prize for ‘Ootlin’

Renowned author Jenni Fagan has been honored with the prestigious £10,000 Gordon Burn Prize 2025 for her latest work, Ootlin, published by Hutchinson Heinemann. The award was presented during a ceremony at Northern Stage in Newcastle on March 6th, where the author’s achievements were recognized within a vibrant literary community.

Celebration of Literary Excellence

The event featured a discussion hosted by Sarah Shaffi with the other shortlisted authors, alongside musical performances from Liz Corney, enhancing the atmosphere of celebration surrounding innovative literary voices.

About ‘Ootlin’

Ootlin has been characterized as “a journey through the broken UK care system” that reflects themes of displacement and exclusion. The work is also seen as a powerful testament to the healing power of writing, emphasizing the significance of asserting one’s presence through art and storytelling.

The Gordon Burn Prize: Honoring Distinctive Voices

Founded in 2012 by New Writing North, Faber & Faber, and the Gordon Burn Trust, the Gordon Burn Prize seeks to honor extraordinary writing that often occupies unconventional perspectives or subjects, challenging traditional narrative forms. The prize is open to English works published in the UK the prior year, welcoming authors from around the globe.

Judging Panel Insights

David Whitehouse, a member of the judging panel, praised Fagan’s work, stating, “All of the books on the shortlist deserve recognition, but Jenni Fagan’s Ootlin is a singular achievement. Everything about it – the language, the rhythm, the approach, the subject, the author – conspires to make a beautiful, vital, difficult, human piece of art.”

Shortlisted Titles

This year’s shortlist also included notable works such as:

• Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel (Daunt Originals)
• Mrs Jekyll by Emma Glass (Cheerio)
• Poor Artists by Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad (Particular Books)
• Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands (Phoenix)
• The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trail of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley (4th Estate)

Impact of Fagan’s Work

Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, remarked on the profound impact of Fagan’s writing, noting, “Books like this are incredibly hard to write, they can be hard to read, but they give such a great deal in helping us to understand fellow human experience.” She expressed pride in recognizing Fagan’s contribution to discussions about the care system.

A Call for Change

Professor Jo Robinson from Newcastle University highlighted the essential question posed by Ootlin: “Who is telling the story?” She commended Fagan’s narrative as a courageous reclamation of her experiences, advocating for broader changes in societal narratives concerning care structures.