Posted on 13 August 2013
Gothic Music: The Sounds of the Uncanny by Isabella Van Elferen has been announced as the winner of the Allan Lloyd Smith Memorial Prize.
Announced as part of the International Gothic Association’s (IGA) biannual conference, the book, which is published by the University of Wales Press, was one of four titles on the shortlist (taken from an original longlist of eight).
The Allan Lloyd Smith memorial Prize was established by the IGA in 2011 as a memorial to Dr Allan Lloyd Smith (1945-2010), founding President of the IGA. With the winner determined by a panel of past presidents, the prize is awarded for a scholarly publication considered to have advanced the field of Gothic studies.
Gothic Music: The Sounds of the Uncanny investigates the connections between Gothic and the Goth, and between music, literature, film and computer games, in search of the definition and scope of Gothic Music. Its author, Isabella van Elferen, is currently Professor of Music at Kingston University, London.
Speaking about the book’s success, Helgard Krause, Director of the University of Wales Press, said:
“I am extremely delighted that Isabella’s work has been recognised by the judges of the IGA and I am certain that it will become the defining text on the subject. We are proud to have published it as part of our Gothic Literary Studies series which now comprises 23 titles with more planned for 2014.”
The IGA is the world's leading association dedicated to the study of the Gothic, consisting of over 200 researchers from 25 countries. The Allan Lloyd Smith Memorial Prize, which is awarded every two years, is considered to be a very prestigious and internationally recognised award.
Speaking about receiving the award, author Isabella van Elferen said:
"I am thrilled that Gothic Music has won the Alan Lloyd Smith Prize and am grateful to the jury for their interest in sonic Gothic."
Andrew Smith, one of the series editors, added:
“Isabella's van Elferen's Gothic Music: The Sounds of the Uncanny is the first book to examine how music contributes to our understanding of the Gothic tradition. The judging panel of the Allan Lloyd Smith prize rightly praised the book for its breadth of scholarship, intellectual sophistication and overall original contribution to Gothic Studies. Ben Fisher and I, as the series editors, are delighted by the award.”
For more information about the University of Wales Press, please visit www.uwp.co.uk
For more information about the IGA, please visit their website - www.iga.stir.ac.uk