The Limerick Writers’ Centre is proud to announce that Cork based Freyja Hellebust has been named the winner of the 2024 Gerald Griffin Competition for First Original Adult Fiction with her manuscript novel submission “Head First, From a Height.”
The official announcement took place on Friday, September 20th at The People’s Museum of Limerick, Pery Square, where the author was recognised for her outstanding submission to Ireland’s newest literary prize.
“We are thrilled to recognise Freyja Hellebust’s exceptional talent,” said Dominic Taylor, Director of the Limerick Writers’ Centre. “Her manuscript stood out in a field of impressive entries, showcasing the vibrant state of original fiction writing in Ireland today and we look forward to publishing her novel in the coming months.”
Judges Ciaran O’Driscoll and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, both renowned figures in the Irish literary scene, were particularly impressed with Hellebust’s work. Ciaran O’Driscoll stated that:
“It is quite remarkable how this novel brings us beyond the particular group and even the writer’s generation to experience the compassion which compelled Edna O’Brien to remark ‘poor people’ and James Joyce to define pity as “the feeling which arrests the mind in the presence of whatsoever is grave and constant in human sufferings”.
Judge Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin said: “The first thing that struck me about this novel was the quality of the writing. There was an instant sense that the author has imagined it clearly and has seamlessly brought it into convincing language. What gives the story its ballast is the fullness of the material setting: physical experiences of light, sun, clothing and bodies, food and hunger and drink, the sea, work and fatigue.”
The Gerald Griffin Competition, named after the acclaimed 19th-century Irish novelist, aims to discover and promote new voices in Irish literature. This competition is part of the Limerick Writers’ Centre’s ongoing efforts to nurture literary talent and expand awareness of its activities beyond the local area.
About the Winner:
Freyja Hellebust is a history student. She has been writing since she was fourteen when she won a short story competition at Listowel Writers’ Week. She continued writing throughout her teenage years, and won awards including at the Trinity College Book of Kells competition. In 2023 she was awarded the UCC Eoin Murray Memorial Scholarship for creative writing.
About Gerald Griffin
Gerald Griffin (1803-1840), a renowned Limerick writer, was a novelist, poet, and playwright. His most famous work, “The Collegians,” was inspired by the true story of Ellen Hanley’s (The Colleen Bawn)murder. The novel gained widespread acclaim, inspiring adaptations in theater, music, and film. It also contributed to Killarney’s tourism industry. Notably, American poet Walt Whitman admired Griffin’s work.
About Limerick Writers’ Centre:
The Limerick Writers’ Centre is dedicated to fostering and promoting the art of writing in all its forms. Through competitions, workshops, and various literary events, the Centre plays a crucial role in the cultural landscape of Limerick and beyond.
For more information, please contact: Dominic Taylor limerickwriterscentre@gmail.com Tel 087 2996409