Nigerian author makes the 2016 Betty Trask prize shortlist

The shortlist for the 2016 Betty Trask prize has been revealed and we are so happy to see Irenosen Okojie on the list.

Her book Butterfly Fish was described by one of the judges, Michèle Roberts, as a "bittersweet story uniting different traditions of narrative to create a whole new geography of the imagination".

The 4 books shortlisted are:

Glass by Alex Christofi (Serpent’s Tail)

Butterfly Fish by Irenosen Okojie (Jacaranda Books Art Music)

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury Circus)

Weathering by Lucy Wood (Bloomsbury)

The Betty Trask Prize is given annually to a debut novel of literary merit by an author under the age of 35.

The winner will receive £10,000 (5 million Naira) and will be announced at the Authors’ Awards ceremony on 21 June. The three runners-up will each receive a Betty Trask Award worth £5,000.

The judges this year are, Simon Brett,Joanne Harris and Michèle Roberts.

The Prize and the Awards will be presented by John Agard.

A Freelance arts project manager, Irenosen Okojie, quit the study of law to explore her passion for the arts and literature. Her work has been published in Kwani literary magazine, Ether Books, Arcadia Books, Fiction Uncovered and Flipped Eye.

She was presented at the London Short Story Festival by Ben Okri as an exciting talent to watch and was featured in the Evening Standard Magazine as one of London’s most exciting new authors.

She is a regular contributor to the Guardian and the Observer, where she lends her support to writers from ethnic backgrounds.

Congratulations Irenosen!

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