Five Women Writers On Booker Prize 2024 Shortlist, And That's A Record

The 2024 Booker Prize shortlist features a record-breaking five women writers. This year also marks the first Dutch author ever, and the first Australian to be shortlisted in decades.

The 2024 Booker Prize shortlist has made history by featuring the highest number of woman authors in its 55-year history. For the first time ever, five women writers have been named — among the six finalists — for the prestigious literary award, which honours outstanding works of fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.

This year’s lineup also includes a notable milestone: the first Dutch author to be shortlisted, and the first Australian author in a decade. The diverse group also features British, Canadian, and American talent.

The five women writers are Samantha Harvey, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, Yael van der Wouden, Charlotte Wood. The sixth author to be shortlisted is Percival Everett.

Booker Prize 2024 Shortlist

'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey (UK): This novel follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over a 24-hour period. Harvey aimed to evoke the beauty of human presence in low Earth orbit through a realistic lens, tackling the challenges of capturing amazement and crafting a 'space pastoral'

'Creation Lake' by Rachel Kushner (US): A thriller centered on a woman who infiltrates a radical anarchist collective in rural France. Kushner, who was previously shortlisted in 2018 for "The Mars Room", continues to explore provocative themes in her writing.

'Held' by Anne Michaels (Canada): A family saga reflecting on the memories of four generations. Michaels, best known for her poetry and the award-winning novel "Fugitive Pieces", delves into the intricacies of familial bonds.

'The Safekeep' by Yael van der Wouden (Netherlands): This debut novel addresses the treatment of Jews in post-Nazi-era Netherlands, interwoven with a queer love story. Van der Wouden drew inspiration from her own short story about sibling dynamics and the complexities of national narratives.

'Stone Yard Devotional' by Charlotte Wood (Australia): The novel tells the story of a middle-aged woman seeking solace in a convent in New South Wales. Wood is the first Australian author shortlisted since Richard Flanagan won the Booker Prize in 2014 for 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North'.

'James' by Percival Everett (US): A retelling of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", told from the perspective of runaway slave Jim. Everett's previous novel "Erasure" was adapted into the film American Fiction, which earned director Cord Jefferson the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar earlier this year.

What Will The Winners Get?

Each shortlisted author will receive £2,500 (Rs 2.76 lakh) and a bespoke bound edition of their book, with the winner set to receive £50,000 (Rs 55.37 lakh) and a trophy named Iris (after winner Iris Murdoch). 

The judging panel for Booker Prize 2024 was chaired by artist and author Edmund de Waal, and included novelist Sara Collins, musician Nitin Sawhney, The Guardian's Fiction Editor Justine Jordan, and writer Yiyun Li. 

"Among other things, the shortlisted books explore the gravitational pull of home and family; the contested nature of truth and history; and the extent to which we reveal our real selves to others," the Booker Prizes statement read.

Last year's winner was Irish author Paul Lynch for his dystopian novel 'Prophet Song', which depicted a totalitarian Ireland. 

The Booker Prize 2024 will be awarded on November 12 at Old Billingsgate in London, and the ceremony will be live-streamed on the YouTube and Instagram channels of Booker Prizes.