Enright, Kilroy nominated for ‘Women’s Prize for Fiction’

Two Irish authors have been shortlisted for the prestigious 2024 ‘Women’s Prize for Fiction’ in the UK.

Anne Enright’s latest novel ‘The Wren, The Wren’ and Claire Kilroy’s ‘Soldier, Sailor’ have both been nominated.

The prize is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK.

The winner receives £30,000 and the ‘Bessie’, a bronze statuette created by the artist Grizel Niven.

The judging panel for the 2024 prize is chaired by author Monica Ali and she is joined by author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀; author and illustrator Laura Dockrill; actor Indira Varma; and presenter and author Anna Whitehouse.

Describing the shortlisted novels as “encompassing stories that focus on intimate family relationships, as well as those that convey a broader view of history, always with an eye on the particularity of women’s experience, whether in the home or in the context of war and political upheaval” the prize was first launched in 1996.

It was established, the founders say, “to highlight and remedy the imbalance in coverage, respect and reverence given to women writers versus their male peers, creating a platform for exceptional writing by women to shine”.

Previous winners include Barbara Kingsolver for her novel ‘Demon Copperhead’ 2023 and ‘Hamnet’ written by Maggie O’Farrell in 2020.

Author Monica Ali, the chairperson of this year’s prize, said: “This year’s shortlist features six brilliant, thought-provoking and spellbinding novels that between them capture an enormous breadth of the human experience.

“Readers will be captivated by the characters, the luminous writing and the exquisite storytelling. Each book is gloriously compelling and inventive and lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.”

Shortlist:

‘The Wren, The Wren’ by Anne Enright, published by Jonathan Cape
‘Brotherless Night’ by V. V. Ganeshananthan, published by Viking
‘Restless Dolly Maunder’ by Kate Grenville, published by Canongate Books
‘Enter Ghost’ by Isabella Hammad, published by Jonathan Cape
‘Soldier Sailor’ by Claire Kilroy, published by Faber & Faber
‘River East, River West’ by Aube Rey Lescure, published by Duckworth