UPDATE: WINNER: "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders" by Daniyal Mueenuddin

A Pakistani-American author—cited for the empathy, depth, and complexity of his work—is the winner of the $20,000 Story Prize for his book In Other Rooms, Other Wonders.

UPDATE: SEE this wonderful post and great comments so beautifully formatted by award-winning dentist blogger: here

New York Times Dalia Sofer reviewed this book last month quite interestingly writes “Reading Daniyal Mueenuddin’s mesmerizing first collection, “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders,” is like watching a game of blackjack, the shrewd players calculating their way beyond their dealt cards in an attempt to beat the dealer. Some bust, others surrender. But in Mueenuddin’s world, no one wins.”

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At the end of an evening of readings and conversation, debut writer Daniyal Mueenuddin took the stage and accepted The Story Prize for his collection In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, a book of eight connected stories set in southern Pakistan and centering around the estate of a feudal landowner. The other two finalists were Victoria Patterson’s Drift and Wells Tower’s Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned.

At the event, all three authors read from their story collections and discussed their work with Larry Dark, the Director of The Story Prize, before Founder Julie Lindsey announced the winner. The $20,000 award Mueenuddin received, in addition to an engraved silver bowl, is the largest first-prize amount of any annual U.S. book award for fiction. Patterson and Wells, each received $5,000.

Dark and Lindsey selected the three finalists for The Story Prize from among 78 books entered in 2009, representing 53 different publishers and imprints. Three judges read the short story collections chosen as finalists and voted to determine the winner of the award. The judges were:

A.M. Homes, best-selling author of numerous novels, story collections, and works of nonfiction.

Carolyn Kellogg, critic and lead blogger for the Los Angeles Times book blog, Jacket Copy.

Bill Kelly, a librarian with Ohio's Cuyahoga County Public Library.

The judges cited Mueenuddin’s work for its empathy, depth, and complexity: “These stories are written with a deep sense of knowing; as though Mueenuddin’s skin is a particular kind of porous; there is an ache, an inescapable constant melancholy, our masterful guide, knows too much, feels too deeply — if such a thing is possible.”

They went on to say: “Each story, on its own, shines; layered together, there is a celebration of the beauty of the landscape, humor in the everyday, the irrefutable power of family and a lingering sadness for all who have not gotten quite what they wanted.”

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