Irish authors Claire Kilroy and Anne Enright nominated for prestigious Women’s Prize for Fiction

Irish authors Anne Enright and Claire Kilroy have both been shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes.

Making up for one third of the list, the Irish authors join an esteemed panel of six talented authors, whose novels heavily feature the theme of migration. The successful author will be awarded the prize of £30,000 and will be announced June 13 at the Women’s Prize Trust’s summer party in central London.

Anne Enright, who has been shortlisted twice in 2012 and 2016 and longlisted in 2008 and 2020, has been recognised again for her eighth novel 'The Wren, The Wren'. The book tells the family story of Nell, her mother Carmel and her famous late-grandfather, a brutal and talented poet. Enright is an award winning author who has published seven novels, many short stories.

Claire Kilroy has also made the list with her novel Soldier Sailor, her first in 10 years. The author has penned six novels, and her latest is an account of a new mother’s love and her struggle for autonomy, in the form of an internal monologue addressed from mother to son.

“This year’s shortlist features six brilliant, thought-provoking and spellbinding novels that between them capture an enormous breadth of the human experience,” author Monica Ali, chair of judges, said.

“Readers will be captivated by the characters, the luminous writing and the exquisite storytelling. Each book is gloriously compelling and inventive and lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.”