Living Canon

Costa Book Awards 1991: Complete list of winners

The 1991 Costa Book Awards showcased the remarkable range of British and Commonwealth literature, celebrating works that captivated readers across every genre imaginable. That year’s selections felt particularly rich—from sweeping biographical narratives to imaginative children’s stories, each winner demonstrated why the Costa Book Awards remain one of the most prestigious honors in the publishing world. The award, which has long championed accessible yet literary excellence, drew attention to voices both established and emerging, proving that quality writing transcends category lines.

John Richardson’s monumental A Life of Picasso claimed the biography category, offering readers a masterwork of artistic portraiture that would itself become legendary among art historians. Meanwhile, Jane Gardam’s quirky and inventive The Queen of the Tambourine won the Novel Award, while Gordon Burn’s debut Alma Cogan proved that first-time novelists could produce work of remarkable sophistication. The year also saw Diana Hendry enchant young readers with Harvey Angell, and Michael Longley capture something essential about Irish experience in his poetry collection Gorse Fires—a win that cemented his place among the era’s most important poets.

Here are the complete winners from the 1991 Costa Book Awards:

Biography

Children’s Book

First Novel

Novel

Poetry