Who won the East Anglian Book of the Year 2022?

The announcement – for her book Iron Man – was made at a special event hosted by awards partners Jarrold, the Eastern Daily Press and the National Centre for Writing, at Dragon Hall on Thursday evening. 

Upon receiving her award, Lynne said: “It feels absolutely amazing to win. I’ve never won anything for my writing so this is a big thing for me. Iron Man was so very difficult to write and very difficult to place with a publisher. I’m grateful to Salt for being brave enough to take the book on. I’m just thrilled. This prize will give me the confidence to keep writing.”

Lynne Bryan (Image: Lynne)

Published by independent publishing house Salt, based in Cromer, Iron Man is a moving and candid memoir which addresses Bryan’s relationship with her disabled father and the writer’s block she had experienced for over a decade. 

“The book began in 2015, at my father’s hospital bedside as he lay dying. I listened to what his visitors said about him, their memories of what happened when he first became paralysed after contracting polio while swimming in the local canal and I noted every detail. 

Shortlisted and winning writers at the East Anglian Book Awards 2022 Picture: Jarrold (Image: Jarrold)

“The result is a book that talks movingly and candidly about disability, the vulnerability of the body and mind, and the frailty and strength of our corporeality,” she adds. 

Caroline Jarrold, community affairs adviser at Jarrold & Sons, adds: “Iron Man is the book that Lynne Bryan had to write. It is a brave and honest account, beautifully written and a very worthy winner.”  

Iron Man by Lynne Bryan (Image: Lynne Bryan)

As part of her prize, Bryan will receive £1,000, generously funded by the PACCAR Foundation. 

Discover more about the East Anglian Book Awards at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/east-anglian-book-awards