In its 29th year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction continues to honour the creativity and brilliance of female authors. This year, they said the longlist was a celebration of literary excellence that champions ambitious, inspiring, and thought-provoking novels penned by women in English.

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The longlist for this year comprises 16 exceptional books, each individual in its own right, with distinct writing styles, subjects, and themes. These stories are said to transport readers across continents, through time, and into the heart of storytelling, rekindling their love for literature with every page turned.

This year’s selection is notably fresh, featuring a majority of debut authors, thus offering readers the exciting opportunity to discover new literary talents alongside esteemed familiar voices. “We can’t wait for you to get stuck in and tell us which ones you are going to read first,” the organisers expressed, highlighting the anticipation and excitement surrounding this year’s selections.

“With the strength and vitality of contemporary women’s fiction very much in evidence, reading the entries for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction has been a joyful experience. Each one of these books is brilliant, original and utterly unputdownable,” stated Monica Ali, the chair of judges and acclaimed author. She added that the chosen works offer a wide array of compelling narratives from around the world, written with verve, wit, passion and compassion.

She was joined by author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, author and illustrator Laura Dockrill, actor Indira Varma, and presenter and author Anna Whitehouse.

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 longlist

Without further ado, here is the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, presented in alphabetical order by the author’s surname:

• Hangman by Maya Binyam, published by ONE, Pushkin Press
• In Defence of the Act by Effie Black, published by époque press
• And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott, published by Allen & Unwin
• The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright, published by Jonathan Cape
• The Maiden by Kate Foster, published by Mantle
• Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan, published by Viking
• Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville, published by Canongate Books

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• Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, published by Jonathan Cape
• Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy, published by Faber & Faber
• 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee, published by Virago
• The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord, published by Gollancz
• Western Lane by Chetna Maroo, published by Picador
• Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie, published by Oneworld
• Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan, published by Jonathan Cape
• River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure, published by Duckworth Books
• A Trace of Sun by Pam Williams, published by Legend Press

The Prize, inaugurated in 1996, was created to address and correct the disparities in “coverage, respect and reverence” accorded to female authors compared to their male counterparts. Its founding purpose was to establish a prominent stage where the extraordinary literary contributions of women could be showcased and appreciated.

Awarded every year, the Prize honours the author of the most outstanding full-length novel written in English and released in the UK within the year. The recipient is bestowed with a £30,000 prize, generously provided by an anonymous benefactor, along with the ‘Bessie’, a distinctive bronze statuette crafted by artist Grizel Niven. The shortlist will be announced on April 24th, with the final ceremony to be held on June 13th.

The 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction promises to be a remarkable journey through the artistry and imagination of today’s most talented women writers.

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