The Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist Celebrates Excellence of Women Writers
Previously known as the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction (2013-2016) and the Orange Prize for Fiction (1996-2012), the Women’s Prize for Fiction announced their 2018 shortlist. The award celebrates “excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.”
The shortlist, which includes three debut novelists, is as follows (with bonus links when possible):
- The Idiot by Elif Batuman (our review)
- The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
- Sight by Jessie Greengrass
- When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasamy
- Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (part of our 2017 Great Book Preview)
- Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (The Millions‘ interview with Ward)
Chosen by our brilliant 2018 judging panel, this year’s shortlist features one previously shortlisted author and three debut novels.
Sarah Sands, 2018 chair of judges and Editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme said: “The shortlist was chosen without fear or favour. We lost some big names, with regret, but narrowed down the list to the books which spoke most directly and truthfully to the judges,” said Sarah Sands, Chair of Judges. “The themes of the shortlist have both contemporary and lasting resonance encompassing the birth of the internet, race, sexual violence, grief, oh and mermaids. Some of the authors are young, half by Brits and all are blazingly good and brave writers.”
Did your favourite make the cut? Join in the conversation on Twitter @WomensPrize
Find out more by following this link: https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/reading-room/news/revealing-2018-womens-prize-shortlist#
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