Hay Festival 2013: Kevin Powers wins Oxfam Prize for Emerging Writers Kevin Powers has been awarded the Oxfam Prize for Emerging Writers for his book The Yellow Birds, a visceral account of the Iraq war. The book, which has just come out in paperback, has been widely praised from both heavyweight authors such as Colm Toibin, Hilary Mantel and Tom Wolfe as well as celebrities, including Damian Lewis. It is a poetic account of an intense friendship between two American soldiers during the Iraq War, as well as loss and the aftermath of coming back from the front line. The American, who currently lives in Florence, Italy, with his wife, saw active service in Iraq between 2004 and 2005. He told the Telegraph: "I can't claim to expect anything like this. I hoped I might find a reader or two who would be interested in what I was writing about, but it's a complete surprise to me. I had a certain level of pride that I was able to do what I had set out to do, but I certainly couldn't have predicted the response that I have gotten. The 32-year-old will be appearing at the Telegraph Hay Festival, where he will be presented with his prize - a first edition of "Catch 22" -- and discussing his book, on Saturday, June 1. Oxfam's head of retail, Sarah Farquhar, who will be presenting Kevin with his prize, said: "Kevin is a real talent and well deserved winner." Read a full interview that Powers has given the Telegraph later today on Telegraph.co.uk