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A "truly international" shortlist has been announced for this year's John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, with Emma Jones, who this month won the Felix Dennis Prize Best First Collection for her collection The Striped World (Faber) vying against previous Man Booker and Orange Prize-winners Aravind Adiga and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the £5,000 prize.
The award celebrates the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry or drama) by a UK or Commonwealth writer aged 35 or under. This year's shortlist comprises writers from Nigeria, India, Canada, Australia and the UK.
The winner will be announced on 30th November; the other shortlisted authors receive £500 each.
Viv Bird, chief executive of Booktrust, which runs the prize, said: "I have no doubt that readers will enjoy the rich mix of books nominated in this year's shortlist'
Chair of judges Louise Doughty said: "We're very pleased to have chosen such a strong and diverse list for this year's John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Although the books were judged solely on quality, four different genres are represented by writers living across the globe . . .
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."
The shortlist in full:
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)
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate)
Waste by Tristram Stuart (Allen Lane)
After the Fire, a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld (Jonathan Cape)