A quick word from me Stu the Chair of this years Shadow IFFP .I want thank all my fellow Judges for making this such a successful first year for the shadow IFFP .
We all undertook the Journey of judging the 2012 shadow IFFP eight weeks ago .This journey first took us to Asia , 1980’s Tokyo or is it ? ,a mother disappears in Seoul and then a book highlighting the Aids crisis in China were are three stops there .Then we read two Hebrew novel the first set in the present an old man and a village the other a young jewish man on the run in world war two hiding in a most unexpected place .The to Germany and two books dealing with death the first a husband shocked at is wife’s view of him after she is dead ,the other a women called Alice has friends and lovers die around her .We the journey north firstly we meet a professor stuck in a mid-life crisis and having witnessed a murder ,then to meet Chaim the head of a jewish community in a second world war ghetto .We then met a villain of the top order in 18th century europe and a shipwreck man who may or may not be finish in our two stops in Italy .A skip to 1980’s paris a group of friend facing the ,the AIDS crisis face on .lastly a Basque writer takes us to Colonial Africa and a man heading into an army camp gone rogue .This journey hasn’t been the easiest for us as judges most of the books dealt with the dark side of human life and death .But they show the wealth of talent around the world and the wonderful job of modern translators .We as judges have discovered a lot about each other digesting and discussing the books and slowly trimming or list down to our winner and it is with great pleasure we announce our winner .
From the mouth of the whale by Sjon
Translator – Victoria Cribb
Publisher in the uk telegram books
We all liked and some of us loved this book no one really had a bad word about it ,I think from when ever any one of us judges read it we feel for it as a book and Sjon’s voice .We felt Sjon had captured through Jonas eyes the 17th century Iceland so well ,this was helped by Victoria translation that through its usage of older languages and grammar gave it a feel of a book that had just been unearthed not a modern book .A worthy winner for the fist shadow IFFP winner 2012
Winstonsdad's Blog 
May 13, 2012 @ 20:33:55
Well done, Stu! Sounds like a fantastic winner, I need to read the book 🙂
May 20, 2012 @ 15:43:51
Thanks Bina ,all the best stu
May 14, 2012 @ 15:41:13
To me there isn’t any better recommendation than when a group of people agree that they all liked a book with no one having a bad word to say about it.
May 20, 2012 @ 15:44:40
True Tracy this is the one we all like and no one had anything really bad against it ,all the best stu
May 14, 2012 @ 18:31:31
I need to read it too – as well as Sjon’s previous, which has been on my wishlist for ages.
May 20, 2012 @ 15:45:17
You Do Ana I need read blue fox now ,I just got his latest in post today ,all the best stu
May 15, 2012 @ 15:50:36
I’m looking for ideas for birthday presents for a very well read friend. Reckon this is the one. (And might get Scenes from Village Life, too.) Not the first time you’ve helped me out with gift ideas, Stu. Thanks.
IFFP is such a great award, I love the way brand new stuff finds itself pitted against older gems. Wonderful. Enjoyed your coverage and, must admit, am more likely to pick the recommendations of the Shadow jury than the official ones. Probably just a bias because I ‘know’ you guys 🙂
May 20, 2012 @ 15:46:32
Why thanks sarah it been a varied list this year ,I only really disliked one book ,but the rest of the list have all been interesting book ,all the best stu
May 16, 2012 @ 10:33:21
Looks like a clear winner. Congrats.
May 20, 2012 @ 15:47:49
It was ,the favourite of most of us on the panel ,all the best stu