#Ad The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2023 Longlist #SUDTP23 

Dylan Thomas Prize Blog Celebration 2023The longlist for The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2023 was announced on 26th January 2023. The prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama. It is one of the most important awards for young writers, aimed at encouraging raw creative talent worldwide. The prize is named after the Swansea-born writer, Dylan Thomas, one of the most influential, internationally renowned writers of the mid-twentieth century, and invokes his memory to support the writers of today and nurture the talents of tomorrow.

The full longlist for 2023 is:

Limberlost by Robbie Arnott (Atlantic Books) Review by Karen at Books and Me 

Seven Steeples by Sara Baume (Tramp Press) Review by Jackie at neverimitate

God’s Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu (Orion, Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

Maps Of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer (Picador, Pan Macmillan)

Phantom Gang by Ciarán O’Rourke (The Irish Pages Press)

Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor (Oneworld) Review by Jo at Over the Rainbow 

Losing the Plot by Derek Owusu (Canongate Books) Review by David at David’s Book World

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel (Rough Trade Books)

Send Nudes by Saba Sams (Bloomsbury Publishing) Review by Emma at Bobs and Books

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire (Chatto & Windus)

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens (Picador, Pan Macmillan)

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib (Atlantic Books, Allen & Unwin)

God's Children Are Little Broken Things IGI’m grateful to Emily at Midas PR for giving me the opportunity to read one of the longlisted books – God’s Children Are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu.

The author’s debut collection, it’s described as ‘nine exhilarating stories of queer love in contemporary Nigeria’ and has been praised by Sarah Waters as ‘A hugely impressive collection, full of subtlety, wisdom and heart’.  Look out for my review which will be coming soon.

The shortlist will be announced on 23rd March 2023.

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023 Longlist

WalterScottPrizeThe longlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023 was announced on 14th February 2023. Congratulations to all the authors and publishers of the books on the longlist.

As an avid reader of historical fiction I like to think I have my finger on the pulse but, as usual, the longlist provided some surprises with books I’d not only not read, but never even come across. And my attempt to predict the books that might appear on the longlist was pretty much a failure – I only got three right.

I’ve divided the twelve novels on the list into three parts: those I’ve read and reviewed, those I own but have yet to read, and those that are completely new to me and, I suspect, many other readers. Links from the titles will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.


Read and reviewed

These Days by Lucy Caldwell (Faber) 
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph (Dialogue Books) 

Waiting to be read

The Romantic by William Boyd (Viking)
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (Hutchinson Heinemann)
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry (Riverrun)
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk (Doubleday)
Ancestry by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown)

New to me

My Name is Yip by Paddy Crewe (Doubleday)
The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan (Tuskar Rock Press)
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin, Australia)
I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam (Bluemoose)
The Settlement by Jock Serong (Text Publishing, Australia)

The shortlist will be announced in April by which time I hope to have read a few more of the longlisted books and be in a position to make a few predictions. Have you read any of the books on the list? Are there any you’re planning to read?

Walter Scott Prize 2023 Longlist