We are thrilled to share the news that Jen Stout, author of Night Train to Odesa: Covering the Human Cost of Russia’s War, has won the First Book of the Year at Scotland’s National Book Awards, hosted by the Saltire Society. The news was announced at their award ceremony last night in Edinburgh in a celebration of the strength of the Scottish literary scene.

In her acceptance speech Jen says ‘This means so much. This is a profoundly Scottish book. We have almost no foreign correspondents left in Scotland and we don’t have enough low income writers and working class writers. Everything that I did in Ukraine and in Russia and in writing this book is because of other people and their help. Particularly the people in Ukraine who showed me so much kindness and help all of the time, so many people meant that I could hold up this book.’

The Saltire judges described the book as ‘Accomplished and beautiful work, blending journalism, memoir, history, art.’

Night Train to Odesa is the remarkable account of Jen’s time reporting from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. Her first-hand, vivid reporting brought the war home to readers in Scotland as she reported from front lines and cities across Ukraine. Stories from the night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers: stories from the ground, from a writer with a deep sense of empathy, always seeking to understand the bigger picture, the big questions of identity, history, hopes and fears in this war in Europe.

The months since publication have been a whirlwind of publicity and events, with Night Train to Odesa selected as a Radio 4 Book of the Week, described by the Times as ‘a frank and moving account of the Shetland journalist’s time covering the war in Ukraine’, the Observer as ‘a luminous love letter to an embattled nation’, the Scotsman as ‘a celebration of love, courage and care for others; hers is a world in which kindness holds it own,’ among countless other reviews and interviews.

Jen has also taken part in a huge number of events and festivals, and will be at the St Andrew’s Book Festival in London tomorrow at 5pm, with limited tickets still available.

We extend a huge congratulations to Jen for this much-deserved recognition of her outstanding book.