The Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 Shortlist

Founded as a riposte to 1991’s all-male Booker Prize shortlist, since 1996 the Women’s Prize for Fiction has underpinned a renaissance in literary fiction written by women. The sheer standard of former winners (including Zadie Smith, Madeline Miller, Ali Smith and the much-missed Andrea Levy) has ensured the Prize’s continued standing as one of the country’s elite literary awards.

This year’s shortlist showcases once again the incredible diversity of women’s fiction writing in English, ranging from a searing study of love and community in Troubles-era Northern Ireland to a kinetic evocation of the Black British experience through the power of music. The winner will be crowned on Wednesday 14 June.

The 2023 Shortlist