Medals, awards and the sunglass-wiping service

--Colm Toibin wins the IMPAC for his novel on Henry James, The Master

--James Shapiro wins the Samuel Johnson prize for his A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare

--Ian McEwan wins Britain's oldest book prize for Saturday

--Sonny Mehta helps set up a literary prize aimed at finding and introducing new Japanese writing talent to the rest of the world.


--I don't care about the cash part of the Prince Asturias award, but I'm so envious of Paul Auster--every winner gets a Joan Miro sculpture along with the cheque.

--Meanwhile, John Walsh gives us the dope on the Prince Maurice award for literary love stories. "The winner gets a trophy and a free two-week stay in this beautiful hotel [in Mauritius], where guests are pampered to a ludicrous degree. (I liked the sunglasses-wiping service.)"