This year’s shortlist for the £20,000 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize was announced today. It is comprised of four novels, one poetry collection, and one story collection—all but one of which were released by independent publishers in the UK.
The prestigious prize, named in honor of the iconic Welsh poet who died in 1953 at the age of 39, is unique in that it is open to all published authors currently aged 39 or younger. It seeks “exceptional literary talent” and considers works in any of the broad range of literary forms in which Thomas excelled. This includes poetry, prose, fictional drama, short story collections, novels, novellas, stage plays, and even screenplays.
Here’s the shortlist:
Ayòbámi Adébáyò, A Spell of Good Things (Canongate Books) (Novel, Nigeria)
Caleb Azumah Nelson, Small Worlds (Viking, Penguin Random House UK) (Novel, UK/Ghana)
A. K. Blakemore, The Glutton (Granta) (Novel, England, UK)
Mary Jean Chan, Bright Fear (Faber & Faber) (Poetry collection, Hong Kong)
Joshua Jones, Local Fires (Parthian Books) (Short story collection, Wales, UK)
Catherine Lacey, Biography of X (Granta) (Novel, US)
This year’s winner will be announced on May 16. Previous winners include Claire Vaye Watkins (2013), Max Porter (2016), Raven Leilani (2021), and Patricia Lockwood (2022).
