Andrzej Sapkowski, the Polish author responsible for The Witcher series among others, has won the David Gemmell Legend Award for his novel Blood Of Elves (Gollancz).
In a ceremony at the Magic Circle in London on Friday night, Sapkowski’s publicist accepted the award for the author in his absence. Other books that he was up against on the night included Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument Of Kings (Gollancz), Juliet Marillier’s Heir To Sevenwaters (Tor), Brandon Sanderson’s The Hero Of Ages (Tor) and Brent Weeks’ The Way Of Shadows (Orbit).
The event also featured an auction on behalf of Medecins San Frontieres, with items on display including a signed first edition of Legend by David Gemmell, the chance to drive a sports car for the weekend, and a number of other items donated by companies, including a custom-tailored skirt, a limited edition bust and a sword. The signed first edition raised over £500, however, the representatives of Medecins San Frontieres did not attend.
This award adds to several already garnered by the 61-year-old author, such as his five Zajdel Awards, and the noted Pazport Polytiki, given to writers who have a strong chance of succeeding in overseas markets.
The David Gemmell Legend Award was established to honour the titular author, who at times worked as a nightclub bouncer and a respected journalist before becoming an author. Each of the novelists who made the shortlist were presented with a miniaturised version of Snaga, the famous axe from Gemmell’s series.
