‘Deeply moving and important’, Night Train to Odesa wins the Highland Book Prize
Night Train to Odesa: Covering the Human Cost of Russia’s War by Jen Stout has won the 2024 Highland Book Prize.
Published by Birlinn, Night Train to Odesa is the first-hand account of Shetland journalist Jen Stout’s experience of reporting from Ukraine at the onset of Russian war. It was selected by a judging panel from a shortlist of four. The judging panel were poet and essayist, Jen Hadfield; novelist and short fiction writer, Cynan Jones; and poet, lecturer, broadcaster, and Scotland’s Makar, Peter Mackay.
Jen Hadfield said, ‘The most moving aspect of this book is that, despite harrowing first hand experiences of the invasion, misery is not the prevailing mood. Ukrainian trauma and suffering are more than balanced by hope, creativity, resilience and expression of identity: these are acts of resistance in the face of the surreal Russian strategy of denial. How she managed to write a book so celebratory in tone still astonishes me. It is written with love, care and genuine empathy.’
Cynan Jones said, ‘Stout lifts a book that could so easily be about death into a book about life. She bears witness bravely and unashamedly. It’s writing at the most human level, deeply moving and important.’
Peter Mackay said, ‘An incredible book for the first-person account that she can give, for the world that she evokes. It comes in a very good, long lineage of war reportage. It felt a privilege to be taken to some of those people and places, to trace the changing rhythms of the war, and the moments of loss and re-encounter.’
Presented by the Highland Society of London and facilitated by Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre, with support from the William Grant Foundation for public engagement, this annual award celebrates the finest published work that is created in or about the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The prize aims to recognise the literary talent of the region, and the rich and diverse work inspired by its culture, heritage, and landscape.