The Discontinuity of Small Things by Kevin Haworth Wins Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize

The Discontinuity of Small Things, a novel by Kevin Haworth, has been named the winner of the Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize for Jewish Fiction by an Emerging Writer.The Goldberg Prize, which includes a $2,500 prize and a residency at Ledig House International Writers’ Colony, is given annually to an American fiction writer of exceptional talent and promise for a first or second book. The selection this year of Kevin Haworth, based on the unanimous decision of the judges, was celebrated in early June at a ceremony at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, the sponsor of the award.

Costa Mesa, CA (PRWEB) June 15, 2006 -- Attention for Kevin Haworth’s book The Discontinuity of Small Things began with the notification that had been named a finalist in the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Awards. The next swell arrived when it was named a notable book in the Writers Notes Magazine Book Awards. But neither recognition matches the distinction that has come with the awarding of the 2006 Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize to the 34-year-old Haworth. This recognition of excellence in Jewish Fiction has placed him on an exclusive list of talented emerging writers including former recipients Nathan Englander (For the Relief of Unbearable Urges) and Gary Shteyngart (The Russian Debutante’s Handbook).

The Goldberg Prize, which includes a $2,500 prize and a residency at Ledig House International Writers’ Colony, is given annually to an American fiction writer of exceptional talent and promise for a first or second book. The selection this year of Kevin Haworth, based on the unanimous decision of the judges, was celebrated in early June at a ceremony at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, the sponsor of the award.

Set in Copenhagen, Denmark, the novel The Discontinuity of Small Things follows the course of the 1943 German occupation--as daily annoyances like propaganda pamphlets give way to the much darker vision of kidnappings, deportations, and impending extermination. Haworth expertly traces these events through the lives of three very different characters, linking each to a faction of the Copenhagen resistance. In awarding the Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize for this novel, the judges – writers Peter Orner, Joan Leegant and Tony Eprile – cited its complex, three-dimensional characters and the beauty of its language; and also the fresh and startling way in which its author depicted the oft-treated subject of the Holocaust.

Haworth is a meticulous writer, and admits that he wrote something on the order of 50 drafts before he had shaped the novel into its current form. “This book took eight years to write,” he says. “ It took six years before I could even arrange the numerous scenes – written individually and in no particular order – into a linear draft. The process involved dozens of index cards, one for each scene, divided by character, tacked up on the wall of my studio and painstakingly rearranged over the course of twenty-five days.” The result is a moving account that has been called “mesmerizing,” “deeply involving,” and “thoroughly imagined” by reviewers.

When asked about his inspiration for the novel, Haworth, who was born in 1971, says that he wanted to address the question of how people of his generation can grapple with the legacy of the Holocaust. He felt by choosing one small story he could best pay homage. "The only way to explain life is through the details," Haworth says, philosophically, "A lot of small things add up."

Kevin Haworth was born in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his B.A. in English from Vassar College and his M. F. A. in Fiction Writing from Arizona State University. A two-time resident of the Vermont Studio Center, he is also a winner of the David Dornstein Prize for Young Jewish Writers and the Permafrost Fiction Prize. He currently teaches Writing and Literature at Ohio University.

Quality Words In Print, the Costa Mesa, California press that published The Discontinuity of Small Things offers a small, eclectic list of literary titles. To date, every author published by the press has been named either a winner or finalist for a national book award.

The Discontinuity of Small Things is available through major online retailers and selected bookstores.

For further information or a review copy of The Discontinuity of Small Things, please contact Holly Gruber at Quality Words In Print at (714) 436-5700.

The Discontinuity of Small Things
By Kevin Haworth
ISBN 0-9713160-4-X
Hardcover, 240 pages, $23.95
Quality Words In Print
P.O. Box 2704
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2704
(714) 436-5700

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