Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist announced

The six-book shortlist for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction was announced Monday. The U.K.-based prize, which comes with an award of about $50,000, is the most significant dedicated solely to fiction written by women.

The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, formerly the Orange Prize, was founded in 1991 after organizers noticed a distinct lack of appreciation for novels written by women. That year, while 60% of the novels published in the U.K. were by women, none made the shortlist for the Booker Prize.

“Research showed that women’s literary achievements were often not acknowledged by the major literary prizes,” according to the prize’s website. It adds that the Orange-now-Baileys prize “makes a significant difference to the profile and sales of authors shortlisted.”

The six books shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Are:

“Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“Burial Rites” by Hannah Kent

“The Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahiri

“The Undertaking” by Audrey Magee

“A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing” by Eimear McBride

“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt

The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in London on June 4.

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