John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

Evie Wyld, one of Granta.com’s New Voices in 2008, has been shortlisted for the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, which celebrates the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry or drama) by a UK or Commonwealth writer aged thirty-five or under. Wyld’s New Voices story, ‘Something Close to Heaven,’ later formed part of her debut novel, After the Fire, a Still, Small Voice (Cape), which was published this year to critical acclaim. You can read the Granta.com interview with Wyld here.

Another writer on the shortlist is Orange Broadband Prize-winning novelist Chimamanda Adichie, for her short-story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck (Fourth Estate). Adichie contributed to Granta 92, 95, 98 and 99.

The other books shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize are

Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga (Atlantic Books)

The Striped World by Emma Jones (Faber and Faber)

Six Months in Sudan by James Maskalyk (Canongate)

Waste by Tristram Stuart (Allen Lane)

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London, on Monday 30 November. Chair of Judges Louise Doughty has said of this year’s shortlist, ‘We’re very pleased to have chosen such a strong and diverse list... Although the books were judged solely on quality, four different genres are represented by writers living across the globe - it’s a truly international selection with authors from Nigeria, India, Canada, the UK and Australia. We have one collection of poetry, two works of non-fiction, one short story collection and two novels, one of which is arguably a “hybrid” book. As such, this list is a fascinating display of the range and strength of contemporary writing by young writers. It will be very hard to choose just one book from it and the prize is wide open.’

Granta.com’s New Voices, which showcases exciting fiction by emerging writers, will be relaunched shortly.