Johnian wins Wellcome Book Prize

Marion Coutts, Johnian and former Kettle’s Yard Artist Fellow, has been awarded the Wellcome Book Prize for her memoir The Iceberg.

The Iceberg is Marion Coutts’ powerful account of the diagnosis, illness and death of her husband, art critic Tom Lubbock, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died in 2011. This moving memoir on work, art, language and death, published in 2014, tells of the impact of the illness on the family unit as Tom’s speech began to deteriorate, and the battle everyone faced during the last 18 months of his life when trying to keep that unit together.

The book was announced as the winner of the Wellcome Book Prize by Bill Bryson, Chair of Judges, in a ceremony held in April at the Wellcome Collection. Bryson said, “From an extremely strong shortlist of books that blend exquisite writing with scientific rigour and personal experience, The Iceberg stood out. Marion Coutts' account of living with her husband's illness and death is wise, moving and beautifully constructed. Reading it, you have the sense of something truly unique being brought into the world - it stays with you a long time after.” The Iceberg was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2014, the Costa Biography Award 2014, the Pol Roger Duff Cooper Award 2014, and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2014.

Marion Coutts, who is a Lecturer in Art at Goldsmiths College, was resident at St John’s during 2003-4 when she was a Fellow Commoner and Kettle’s Yard Artist Fellow. During her time at the College, the artist and writer observed the details of daily life at St John’s and subsequently produced a video piece and photo-etched prints in which she depicted the daily ritual of setting the table for the Fellows’ dinner in the Senior Combination Room.

The Iceberg is available for loan from St John’s College library. Visit the Wellcome Book Prize website for more information about the award, and visit Marion Coutt’s website to read more about the author and artist.