The shortlist for the Dylan Thomas Prize, an international literary award for young writers given by Swansea University in Wales, was revealed Thursday, with British Ghanaian writer Caleb Azumah Nelson and Hong Kong–born poet Mary Jean Chan among those recognized.
Named for the celebrated writer who was born in Swansea, the Dylan Thomas Prize honors writers age 39 or younger. (Thomas was 39 when he died.) It celebrates “the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama” and carries a purse of about $25,300.
The six-book shortlist includes four novels: A Spell of Good Things by Nigerian author Ayòbámi Adébáyò, Nelson’s Small Worlds,The Glutton by British writer A.K. Blakemore, and Biography of X by American author Catherine Lacey. Also on the list are Welsh writer Joshua Jones’s debut short story collection, Local Fires, and Chan’s poetry collection Bright Fear.
“The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize has an important role to play in recognizing, supporting, and nurturing young writers across a rich diversity of locations and genres,” Namita Gokhale, the chair of judges for the prize, said in a statement. “The 2024 shortlist has authors from the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Nigeria and Ghana, and it has been a truly rewarding adventure to immersively read through this creative spectrum of voices.”
Three of the four novelists shortlisted this year—Nelson, Adébáyò, and Lacey—have been previously nominated for the prize, as has Chan.
In addition to Gokhale, a writer and the co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the judging panel consisted of author and Swansea University lecturer Jon Gower, author and Trinity College Dublin Assistant Professor Seán Hewitt, former BBC Gulf Correspondent and author Julia Wheeler, and interdisciplinary artist and author Tice Cin.
The winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize will be announced on May 16.
Amy Reiter is a writer in Brooklyn.
