A former DeKalb College English professor and college textbook writer has won the 2014 Townsend Prize for Fiction.

Anthony Winkler won the prestigious award for his book, “God Carlos,” about a 16th century group of ragtag Spanish sailors who go in search of gold in the West Indies—and wreak havoc on an innocent population of natives.

The Townsend is awarded biennially to a Georgia writer who has published an outstanding work of fiction during the preceding two years. It is presented by The Chattahoochee Review (the literary journal of Georgia Perimeter College) and the Georgia Center for the Book. The Atlanta Writers Club is also a sponsor.

Winkler was selected among 10 finalists for the prize. He received a check for $2,000 and a silver plate engraved with his name.

Winkler briefly taught English on GPC’s Dunwoody Campus when the college was known as DeKalb College. A Jamaica native, he moved to Atlanta from California in 1979. Known in his home country as the “Mark Twain of Jamaica,” Winkler is the author of nine novels and four nonfiction books. Two of his books have been adapted for film.

Anna Schachner, editor of The Chattahoochee Review, noted that judges said it was very tight contest among the 10 finalists. Schachner read judges’ comments on the winning entry:

 “‘God Carlos’ does everything you want a great novel to do. It entertains, it educates, it makes you laugh, and it makes you cringe. Winkler has an uncanny ability to make his readers care about truly despicable characters. It’s a masterfully told story, as rich in texture as it is economical. It’s the best novel I’ve read in a long, long time.”

Winkler and his wife hugged and gave surprised gasps as Schachner read the comments. In his acceptance of the prize, Winkler noted that he has supported his family mostly from book royalties and the royalties from English textbooks he has written over the years. Among the texts is “Readings for Writers,” still used in college classrooms today.

Held at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens on April 24, the Townsend Prize event brought together 10 Georgia authors and some 200 people to celebrate the literary award.

Keynote speaker was Jesmyn Ward, author of “Salvage the Bones,” which received the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction.

Also speaking during the ceremony was Lee Walburn, former editor of Atlanta magazine. Walburn gave a reflection on Jim Townsend, the prize’s namesake and the founding editor of Atlanta magazine.

Past Townsend Prize winners include Alice Walker (“The Color Purple”), Ha Jin (“TheBridegroom: Stories”) and Kathryn Stockett (“The Help”).

The other finalists for the 2014 prize were “Accidents of Providence” by Stacia Brown, “The Starboard Sea” by Amber Dermont, “Someone Else’s Love Story” by Joshilyn Jackson, “Where You Can Find Me” by Sheri Joseph, “Pickett’s Charge” by Charles McNair, “I Want to Show You More” by Jamie Quatro, “A True History of the Captivation, Transport to Strange Lands and Deliverance of Hannah Guttentag” by Josh Russell, “A Place at the Table” by Susan Rebecca White and “Emerson’s Brother” by Philip Lee Williams.