Orange Prize Shortlist at St Albans Library

St Albans library is encouraging fiction readers to take part in the action surrounding one of the UK’s biggest book awards – the Orange Prize.

The Orange Prize was launched in 1996, to celebrate excellence and accessibility in women’s fiction writing. And aside from the prestige of winning, the successful author, to be announced on 8 June, will walk away with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze ‘Bessie’ by artist Grizel Niven.

St Albans Library is displaying copies of the six shortlisted titles; half of which are 1st novels, and one by a former shortlisted author Nicole Krauss, who last made the list in 2006. This year’s shortlist is:

Emma Donoghue (Irish) - Room; Picador; 7th Novel

Aminatta Forna (British/Sierra Leonean) - The Memory of Love; Bloomsbury; 2nd Novel

Emma Henderson (British) - Grace Williams Says it Loud; Sceptre; 1st Novel

Nicole Krauss (American) - Great House; Viking; 3rd Novel

Téa Obreht (Serbian/American) - The Tiger’s Wife; Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st Novel

Kathleen Winter (Canadian) - Annabel; Jonathan Cape; 1st Novel

Alongside the books are promotional materials, and voting cards so you can have your say in who you'd choose to win the Orange Prize.

Shirley Everall, National Year of Reading Officer, said: “Hertfordshire Libraries are pleased to promote the Orange Prize and hope we can inspire people to widen their reading and try something new.

“We hope that as many readers as possible will come along to one of the participating libraries and try at least one or two books from the shortlist.”

For St Albans library information and opening times visit: www.hertsdirect.org/libraries/

Photo from Ned Richard's photostream on flickr.