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25th July 2008

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Debuts strong on Orange list

18.03.08 Anna Richardson

Seven début novelists have made it onto the 20-strong longlist for this year's Orange Broadcast Prize for Fiction.

The selection features Anita Amirrezvani's The Blood of Flowers (Headline Review), Sadie Jones's The Outcast (Chatto), Lauren Liebenberg's The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam (Virago), Heather O’Neill's Lullabies for Little Criminals (Quercus), Dalia Sofer's The Septembers of Shiraz (Picador), Carol Topolski's Monster Love (Fig Tree), Patricia Wood's Lottery (Heinemann). More established authors featured include Anne Enright, Rose Tremain and Deborah Moggach (see below for full list).

The prize, which was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction by women, is judged this year by chair Kirsty Lang; Lisa Allardice, editor of Guardian Review; musician Lily Allen; and novelists Philippa Gregory and Bel Mooney.

"There were lots of big names in contention this year and stiff competition for places on the longlist," commented Lang, "so we were surprised and excited to find so many new voices that fought their way through."

The winner will be announced on 4th June.

LONGLIST IN FULL:

Anita Amirrezvani's The Blood of Flowers (Headline Review)
Stella Duffy's The Room of Lost Things (Virago)
Jennifer Egan's The Keep (Abacus)  
Anne Enright's The Gathering (Cape)
Linda Grant's The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Tessa Hadley's The Master Bedroom (Cape)
Nancy Huston's Fault Lines (Atlantic)
Gail Jones's Sorry (Harvill Secker)
Sadie Jones's The Outcast (Chatto)
Lauren Liebenberg's The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam (Virago)
Charlotte Mendelson's When We Were Bad (Picador)
Deborah Moggach's In The Dark (Chatto)
Anita Nair's Mistress (BlackAmber)
Heather O’Neill's Lullabies for Little Criminals (Quercus)
Elif Shafak's The Bastard of Istanbul (Viking)
Dalia Sofer's The Septembers of Shiraz (Picador)
Scarlett Thomas's The End of Mr Y (Canongate)
Carol Topolski's Monster Love (Fig Tree)
Rose Tremain's The Road Home (Chatto)
Patricia Wood's Lottery (Heinemann)
 

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