Short fiction writer Anthony Doerr has won this year's Sunday Times Short Story award for his latest offering, The Deep.
The American, who recently won the Sory Prize in the USA, beat off a host of strong competitors to win the £30,00 prize, which was presented to him by Melvyn Bragg at an awards dinner In Oxford.
After the ceremony, Bragg commented that he'd read Doerr's masterpiece over 20 times and he still found "it profoundly moving".
For his part, Doerr revealed that he had "put his life and soul into the story" and was delighted that his "energy sapping efforts had been recognised".
Although The Deep will not go on general release until May, the Spoof has obtained an advance copy of the award winning story :
"The ocean was still and calm, but Christ it was deep".
