Yewande Omotoso & Ayobami Adebayo Nominated Baileys Women’s Prize For Fiction

Two Nigerian authors, Yewande Omotoso and Ayobami Adebayo announced on Longlist for the prestigious Baileys Women’s Prize For Fiction. The Women's Prize for Fiction is awarded annually to what judges consider the best novel of the year written in English by a female author.

Film producer Tessa Ross, the chair of this year's judges, said it had been "quite a challenge" to whittle the longlist of 16 books down to six.
"From Kentucky in the 19th Century to a dystopian future, to a post-war sanatorium in the English countryside to 1980s Nigeria, the shortlist celebrates narratives that are daring and intimate, that examine the depth of human experience in unique and compelling ways," she said.



The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by women. The award, which was established in 1996, celebrates and supports women writing fiction, and accepts entrances from any woman whatever her nationality, country of residence or age.

Today, to coincide with International Women’s Day, the longlist for the award has been announced, and honours both new and well-established writers and features a mixture of genres. The longlist features 16 entries, with 2 entries from Nigeria, 'Stay with me" by Ayobami Adebayo and 'The Woman Next Door' by Yewande Omotoso.



Other features include the horror ‘Little Deaths’, the first novel by Emma Flint; ‘Barkskins’ by the American author of ‘Brokeback Mountain’, Annie Proulx; ‘Hag-Seed by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, as well as a novel from the 2008 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Rose Tremain, who entered her 14th novel, ‘The Gustav Sonata’.



The longlist features six nationalities – UK, Ireland, America, Canada, South Africa and Nigeria. There are three first novels, three previously shortlisted authors and three previous winners. The shortlist will be announced on April 3rd, and the shortlist readings will take place on June 5th. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on June 7th in London.