Majorca to take on Hary Potter for book prize

A light-hearted look at farming life in Majorca through the eyes and experience of Scottish author Peter Kerr has been short-listed for a top literary award in Britain. Mañana, Mañana the follow up to Kerr's first book Snowball Oranges was yesterday named as one of the top five entries for this year's WH Smith Books Awards 2002 in the Travel Writing Category. Mañana, Mañana faced tough competition to get this far, having been selected by a panel of London literary luminaries from a collection of over a thousand travel books. Now, it is up to the general public to vote for their winning book at either WH Smith stores or on its website with the winners being announced on April 9, when other short-listed authors in a variety of categories will include JK Rowling, Anne Robinson, Nigella Lawson, Berry Boothroyd and Jamie Oliver. Kerr said yesterday that, despite wearing a kilt to the ceremony, “I am amazed and yesterday's announcement came right out of the blue. “Obviously I'm over the moon, not just for myself but also for Majorca, an island that I love.” Both his books about the highs and lows of orange farming in Majorca have sold extremely well in English, well over 100'000 copies, but Snowball Oranges is also selling well in German In tal der Orangen, Swedish and Dutch and next month comes out in Chinese while deals are being negotiated over Spanish and Catalan versions as well as French and Danish. Already on sale in Australia and South Africa, it will this year be published in the United States and Canada, where market soundings have already received a positive response, by Lyons Press New York. “The response has been phenomenal, I never thought it would get this far,” he said. A third Majorca book was due to be published this year, but that has been postponed. Instead a prequel to what will become a Majorcan trilogy comes out in October. The book will be about his exploits as a farmer in Scotland with his family before deciding to up sticks and have a go at orange farming in Majorca. London production company Danny Rose has also bought the rights for a television drama and is currently working on a network, script writers and casting. “Even if I do not win, the recognition and publicity for the book and Majorca will be wonderful,” Kerr said yesterday.