Annal:1976 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction
From AwardAnnals
Results of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the year 1976. For a ranked list of books, try an honor roll:
- 1976 JT Black-Fiction winner
- Score: 10.26
When Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) proved that the earth was not the center of the universe, man’s conception of his cosmos and his God broke down. That shattering situation, with the great astronomer at its hub, and the toll it took on him, his church, and his world, is what John Banville skillfully reveals in this novel.
Set in a fascinating, remote world, Doctor Copernicus transcends its context, making it at once an historical and a very modern novel.
“Banville is superb…There are not many historical novels of which it can be said that they illuminate both the time that forms their subject matter and the time in which they are read: Doctor Copernicus is among the very best.” (The Economist)
