NoViolet Bulawayo, Jacqueline Crooks, and Tara M. Stringfellow are on the longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 announced on March 7, 2023.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. Previous winners of the prize first awarded in 1996 have included Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, and Ali Smith.
The 2023 cycle of the prize kicked off with the announcement of the jury of author and journalist Louise Minchin (chair) alongside award-winning novelist Rachel Joyce; author, journalist, and podcaster Irenosen Okojie; bestselling author and journalist Bella Mackie and MP for Hampstead and Kilburn Tulip Siddiq in October last year.
The longlist for the prize was announced on Tuesday with the Chair of the judges, Louise Minchin saying: ‘This year’s longlist is a glorious celebration of the boundless imagination and creative ambition of women writers over the past year. Every one of these 16 books is excellent and original in its own individual way; they all offer fresh perspectives on history and humanity, exploring hard truths with empathy, sensitivity, directness, and sometimes infectious humour. There is something here for all readers! It has truly been a life-enhancing experience to judge the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist this year, and we are looking forward to celebrating these voices that need to be heard.’
Here is the official longlist announcement on YouTube;
The work by the following writers of African descent made the list this year;
- Fire Rush, Jacqueline Crooks
- Glory, NoViolet Bulawayo
- Memphis, Tara M. Stringfellow
Jacqueline Crooks said, “Sixteen years in the writing, launched 6 days ago, Fire Rush has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023. What a journey. Grateful to the readers, reviewers, and The Massive for bigging-up my debut riddim novel! 🔥 Congratulations to the amazing longlisted authors.”
The judging panel will now whittle these sixteen books down to a shortlist of six novels, announced on April 26. The winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction will be announced on June 14.
