Avuncular literary correspondent Mike Moorcock writes: "Le Grand Prix de Jack Trevor Story, otherwise known as the Jack Trevor Story Memorial Cup was voted on by a panel of judges meeting at the traditional brasserie, L'Horizon, rue St Placide, on the last Friday in July. Judges included Jeff VanderMeer, Jean-Luc Fromental, Martin Stone, John Coulthart and Michael Moorcock. The cup and the cash prize of $1000 will be sent to the unanimous winner, who can best be relied upon to meet the condition of the prize that it must be spent in a week to a fortnight and the author have nothing to show for it, Mr Steve Aylett." This is to recall Mr Story's famous reply to the bankruptcy judge who enquired where a substantial sum of money paid to him for film rights had gone -- "You know how it is, judge. Two hundred or two thousand, it always lasts a week to a fortnight".
I was terribly touched by this - that's one hell of a way to both celebrate a friendship, while providing patronage to the arts (and let's face it, hostelry). That said, inflation means that a serious hellraiser should be able to clear a grand in a night, never mind a fortnight, these days. Hell, lead me to a restaurant with a decent wine list and I'm sure I could find a couple of vintage ports that'd take me most the way there, never mind the hookers and coke.