Marina Lewycka Honored with Vintage Bollinger Prize Posthumously for ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’
A celebration of comedic literary excellence has been tinged with sadness as British-Ukrainian author Marina Lewycka was posthumously awarded the Vintage Bollinger prize, a “winner-of-winners” accolade marking the 25th anniversary of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction. The decision to bestow the honor upon Lewycka was made just one day before her passing last month at the age of 79, following a prolonged illness.
A Legacy of Laughter and Insight
Lewycka’s winning novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, published in 2005, is a family drama lauded for its unique blend of humor and emotional depth. Vintage Bollinger judge Claudia Winkleman described the work as “laugh out loud funny, utterly original and also deeply moving.” The novel garnered significant recognition upon its release, earning a longlisting for the Man Booker prize and a shortlisting for the Orange prize, now known as the Women’s prize for fiction.
The award was accepted on Lewycka’s behalf by her partner, Donald Sassoon, and daughter, Sonia Lewycka, at a ceremony in Westminster on Monday evening.
Rosanna Pike Also Recognized for 2025 Prize
The event also celebrated Rosanna Pike, who received the 2025 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for her novel, A Little Trickerie. Pike’s prize includes the unusual honor of having a pig named after her book, along with a jeroboam and case of Bollinger Special Cuvée, and the complete Everyman’s Library collection of works by P.G. Wodehouse.
Critic Imogen Hermes Gowar of The Guardian praised A Little Trickerie as “lovable, fun and emotionally juicy,” noting its inspiration from the historical figure of Elizabeth, the “Holy Maid of Leominster.” Gowar further highlighted Pike’s skillful characterization, writing that the protagonist, Tibb Ingleby, is “frankly and unashamedly herself from the first page, dancing and whooping with her mother ‘with a big hoot-hoot.’”
Both Lewycka’s and Pike’s novels are published by Fig Tree, an imprint of Penguin, in the UK.
A Distinguished List of Honorees
Lewycka’s selection as the winner-of-winners came from a prestigious list of past recipients, including literary giants such as Jonathan Coe, Geoff Dyer, Ian McEwan, Terry Pratchett, Helen Fielding, Alexander McCall Smith, Percival Everett, and Bob Mortimer.
Peter Florence, co-founder of the Hay festival and chair of the judging panel, acknowledged the challenge of selecting a single standout work from 25 years of comedic fiction. He stated that the judges ultimately “came to a book that some people were discovering for the first time and were laughing aloud at and loving.” Florence continued, “[Lewycka] has us at the title, and she rocks us on every page.” He also emphasized the novel’s enduring relevance, noting how it has been “reshaped by the 20 years since it was first published, by both the history of Ukraine and the story of refugee experience in the UK. The comedy is somehow both darker and more vivid.”
Florence revealed that Lewycka passed away “the day after the jury met to decide the prize winner,” adding, “I am so glad she knew she had won.”
The judging panel for the Vintage Bollinger prize included Patrick Grant of The Great British Sewing Bee, and comedians Tatty Macleod and Sindhu Vee. The 2025 prize was judged by comedian Pippa Evans, novelist Stephanie Merritt, broadcaster James Naughtie, Justin Albert of the University of Wales, David Campbell of Everyman’s Library, and Florence.
