The US Center for Fiction has announced the longlist for this year’s edition of the annual First Novel Prize, with two African writers getting nods.
The longlist comprises 25 books, selected from a list of 144 submitted titles with U.S. publication dates between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.
The writers of African descent who made the cut include Zambian-American writer Iris Mwanza for her novel The Lions’ Den (Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House), and Senegalese writer Mai Sennar for her novel They Live in Gold (Zando/SJP Lit).
Inaugurated in 2006, the First Novel Prize honours the best debut novel of the year and supports important emerging voices in fiction. Each year, the First Novel Prize winner is awarded a $15,000 prize in recognition of their contribution to the contemporary literary canon and in support of their ongoing creative career. The First Novel Prize is given to a debut novel published in the United States between January 1st and December 31st of the competing year.Â
The shortlisted authors will read from their work and gather with the public at The Center for Fiction First Novel Fête on Friday, December 6, 2024. The First Novel Prize winner will be announced at The Center’s Annual Awards Benefit on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.