Women's Prize for Fiction 2017 shortlist announced, with settings ranging from 19th century Kentucky to 1980s Nigeria
This year's shortlist includes one debut novelist and one past winner
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2017 shortlist for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction has been announced, featuring six novels by female authors writing in English from across the globe.
Set up in 1996, the award - now in its 22nd year - champions excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing. This year’s shortlisted nominees include one debut author, Nigeria’s Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀̀, as well as one previous winner, Linda Grant, who triumphed in 2000 with When I Lived in Modern Times. The prize also counts the likes of Zadie Smith, Lionel Shriver and Eimear McBridge among its past winners.
The all-female judging panel is composed this year of Sam Baker, Katie Derham, Aminatta Forna, and Sara Pascoe and chaired by the CEO of House Productions, Tessa Ross.
"It has been a great privilege to chair the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction in a year which has proved exceptional for writing of both quality and originality,” said Ross. “It was therefore quite a challenge to whittle this fantastic longlist of 16 books down to only six.”
The novelists have been praised for the quality of their writing as well as the variety in subject matters, ranging from 19th century Kentucky to 1980s Nigeria by way of a life in a post-WWII sanatorium.
The award ceremony will take place at Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre on 7 June 2017, where the winner will receive £30,000 as well as a ‘Bessie’ – a limited edition bronze statue – created by artist Grizel Niven.
The full shortlist is as follows:
Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀̀ (Nigeria) Canongate
The Power by Naomi Alderman (UK) Viking
The Dark Circle by Linda Grant (UK) Virago
The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan (USA) 4th Estate
First Love by Gwendoline Riley (UK) Granta
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien (Canada) Granta
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