The long list of the 2023 British Women's Fiction Award has been released, and new writers occupy more than half of the seats

On International Women's Day, the first round of the 2023 British Women's Fiction Award was announced. Of the 16 finalists, nine are new writers' debuts, and although the list is considered "extremely original" despite the fact that some of the previous winners of the award include Maggie O'Farrell and Barbara Kingsorfer. According to the chairman of the prize's jury, "The scale and ambition of women's writing today is very inspiring. ”

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According to the British "Guardian" and other media news, on March 8, local time, the 2023 British Women's Prize for Fiction announced the shortlist. Among them, nine emerging writers are shortlisted for the first time with their debuts, and they will compete with the award's former winners, Maggie O'Farrell and Barbara Kingsolver. Also included in the list are Booker Prize favourites NoViolet Bulawayo and Sophie Mackintosh.

This year marks its 28th year, the British Women's Fiction Prize, which is open to women writers around the world who write fiction in English. Not long ago, the organizing committee also announced that it will add the "Women's Nonfiction Writing Award" in 2024 to further expand women's voices. This year's 16 finalists for the Women's Fiction Prize come from multiple regions around the world, including seven British, five Americans, one Irish, one Canadian, one French, and one Zimbabwean-American writer.

In terms of writing themes, this year's 16 finalists cover a wide range of works, from Renaissance Italy, rural India, the Siege of Sarajevo, to the turbulent years of Northern Ireland, showing the breadth of time and space. There are also works that cast brushstrokes on a fictional kingdom ruled by animals, an underwater world full of strange creatures, or an old cinema shrouded in illusions.

In addition, three other works are retelling classic stories. British writer Natalie Haynes' Stone Blind is based on the snake-haired banshee Medusa in Greek mythology. Kinsolver, who won the Women's Fiction Award in 2010 for The Lacuna, is said to have borrowed its narrative structure from Dickens' David Copperhead. O'Farrell, winner of the 2020 Women's Fiction Award, is a sketch of the Medici family, a 16th-century Italian family.

Louise Minchin, president of this year's jury, said: "These works offer a new perspective on history and human nature, and they explore harsh facts and difficult themes with empathy, sensitivity and directness, while at the same time exploring harsh facts and difficult themes with a powerful dark humor. "This list is a tribute to the boundless imagination and creative ambition of women writers over the past year." Minchin added, "The scale and ambition of women's writing today is very inspiring. ”

In addition to Minchin, this year's jury line-up includes British author Rachel Joyce, Nigerian-born short story writer Irenosen Okojie, journalist Bella Mackie, who has written for The Guardian and other outlets, and Tulip Siddiq, a British MP.

It is reported that this year's shortlist will be announced on April 26, and the final winner will be announced on June 14. The winning writer will receive £30,000 and a limited edition 'Bessie' statue designed by British sculptor Grizel Niven. The 2022 award winner is The Book of Form and Emptiness by American author and filmmaker Ruth Ozeki.

Attached are the shortlisted works for the 2023 British Women's Fiction Award:

Glory

Written by NoViolet Bulawayo

Publisher: Chatto & Windus

Homesick

Written by Jennifer Croft

Publisher: Charco Press

Fire Rush

Written by Jacqueline Crooks

Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Children of Paradise

Written by Camilla Grudova

Publisher: Atlantic

Stone Blind

Written by Natalie Haynes

Publisher: Mantle

Trespasses

Written by Louise Kennedy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus

Demon Copperhead

Written by Barbara Kingsolver

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Cursed Bread

Written by Sophie Mackintosh

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

The Dog of the North

Written by Elizabeth McKenzie

Publisher: Fourth Estate

Black Butterflies

Written by Priscilla Morris

Publisher: Duckworth Books

The Marriage Portrait

Written by Maggie O'Farrell

Publisher: Tinder Press

I'm a Fan

Written by Sheena Patel

出版社：Granta (originally published by Rough Trade Books)

Under

Written by Laline Paull

Publisher: Corsair

Wandering Souls

Written by Cecile Pin

Publisher: Fourth Estate

The Bandit Queens

Written by Parini Shroff

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Memphis

Written by Tara M. Stringfellow

Publisher: John Murray

Reference Links:

1. Announcing the 2023 Women’s Prize longlist!

https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/features/features/news/announcing-the-2023-womens-prize-longlist

2. Maggie O’Farrell and NoViolet Bulawayo make Women’s prize for fiction longlist.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/07/maggie-ofarrell-and-noviolet-bulawayo-make-womens-prize-for-fiction-longlist

3. Louise Minchin says Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist deals with hard truths.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/louise-minchin-tv-presenter-womens-prize-for-fiction-northern-ireland-tiktok-b2295996.html

4. International Women’s Day: The Women’s Prize for Fiction Names a 2023 Longlist.

https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/03/international-womens-day-the-womens-prize-for-fiction-names-a-2023-longlist/