From Perth, Scotland, to Perth, Australia, and taking in Texas, Tennessee, Singapore and the south of England, the finalists for this year’s Dundee International Book Prize have been drawn from four continents.
The shortlist for the 2015 prize features 10 debut novels selected from the record 500 entries received by organisers Literary Dundee.
A judging panel comprising broadcaster Fred MacAulay, award-winning writer Denise Mina, Creative Scotland’s Jenny Niven, Dundee Honorary graduate Danny Wallace and literary agent Ed Wilson will decide which novelist will win a publishing deal with Cargo Publishing and £10,000, the largest cash prize for unpublished work in the UK.
Anna Day, director of Literary Dundee, said: “The Dundee International Book Prize is a vital part of our work, and a key way in which we celebrate and champion new voices.
“This year’s shortlist is a stellar mix of international talent and genres, and we’re deeply excited to see which one will win.”
The prize is now in its 11th year and it continues to grow annually, with the winner due to be announced at a gala dinner during the annual Dundee Literary Festival in October.
Previous winners include Nicola White in 2013 for ‘In the Rosary Garden’, and Amy Mason, with ‘The Other Ida’ last year.
Will Dawson, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said: “Each year the quantity and quality of entrants for the Book Prize goes from strength to strength.
“I never envy the judges the difficult task they have of choosing just one winner from such a strong field but every time they manage to select a deserving book to take the title.”
The full 2015 shortlist is:
Rainbirds – Clarissa Nathania Goenawan (Singapore)
The Adventures of Us – Melanie Napthine (Australia)
The Chicken Soup Murder – Maria Donovan (Bridport, England)
Fire Eater – L. Andrea Mosier (Tennessee, USA)
Take Away People Alison Napier (Perth, Scotland)
A Life Out of Key – Aesa Strand Vidarsdottir (Iceland)
Devil Take the Hindmost – Martin Cathcart Froden (Glasgow, Scotland)
The Historian’s Daughter – Rashida Murphy (Australia)
The Angel with a Solemn Face – Lee Randall (Edinburgh, Scotland)
We Arrive Uninvited – Jen Knox (San Antonio, USA)