Fantasy Prize
The character of a literary prize is best revealed by the books it celebrates. Our winners and shortlistees thus embody the spirit of the Goldsmiths Prize. But the prize is still in its infancy and there is a long and rich tradition of daring and innovative fiction that has had less attention than it deserves, so we thought we’d run a hypothetical, ‘fantasy’ prize alongside the real one. We asked our judges, nominees, winners and friends to select a novel by any British or Irish writer published since 1759 on which they would like, hypothetically, to confer the Goldsmiths Prize in retrospect. Here are the 'winners' to date.
![Book cover from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/Sterne_TristramShandy_image-.jpg)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Oxford World's Classics
![Book cover from Confessions of an English Opium Eater](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/DeQuincey_ConfessionsOfAnEnglishOpiumEater_image.jpg)
Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Penguin Classics
![Book cover from The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/Hogg_ThePrivateMemoirsAndConfessionsOfAJustifiedSinner_image.jpg)
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Penguin Classics
![Book cover from Sartor Resartus](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/Carlyle_SartorResartus_image.jpg)
Sartor Resartus
Oxford World's Classics
![Book cover from Women In Love](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/Lawrence_WomenLove_image.jpg)
Women In Love
Penguin Classics
![Book cover from Ulysses](/media/images-by-section/about-us/goldsmiths-prize/about/Joyce_Ulysses_image.jpg)
Ulysses
Penguin Modern Classics