The longlist for this year’s Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award – the world’s richest literary prize for a single short story – has been revealed. Now in its third year, the longlist (which this year is equally split between male and female authors) is as strong as ever, with authors being drawn from as far afield as the US, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong, Scotland, England and Wales.
Nonagenarian Diana Athill is joined on this year’s longlist by heavyweight novelists such as Lionel Shriver, Martin Malone, Emma Donaghue, Alison Pimlott and A L Kennedy, and short story specialists, Kevin Barry and Tom Lee. The full Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012 longlist is as follows:
Speaking of this year’s longlist, Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award judge Melvyn Bragg had the following to say:
The most striking thing about the haul of entries this year was the wide range – not only in geography but also, and perhaps consequently, in subject matter. The novel used to be celebrated for bringing The News and many of these short stories certainly bring, in fiction based on closely observed reality, a fine perception of the way the world is going at the moment. It was the usual sweat to reduce the list to a mere 20 and now we’re headed for the hothouse to get the last half dozen. There are many strong contenders.
The shortlist of six will be revealed on Sunday 4th March, with the overall award winner and recipent of the £30,000 cheque, being announced at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, on Friday 30 March.
The six shortlisted stories will also be published online, and in an anthology published by Waterstones, which will be available to buy in store, and online at Waterstones.com, from March 5th.
A number of shortlist reading events, produced in conjunction with WordTheatre, are also planned, and will take place at Waterstones Piccadilly on March 27, 28 and 29, where audience members will be able to meet some of the shortlisted authors and talk to judges about their choices.
Further details – including profiles of all longlisted authors and details of the judges – can be found on the Booktrust’s Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award 2012 webpage.
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Rob’s Reaction: What a truly exciting longlist we have again this year. Fans of RobAroundBooks will already know how excited I am to see Kevin Barry on the longlist, but what a thrill to see Diane Athill, Emma Donaghue, and 2011 BBC National Short Story Award shortlister Alison MacLeod on there too. The short fiction of Tom Lee has entertained me greatly in the past, and with Lynne Ramsay’s startling adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin still fresh in my mind, I’m also delighted to see Lionel Shriver on the longlist too. Like I say it’s a hell of an exciting longlist this year, and I can find reasons to be excited about every one of the twenty selected authors 
.
Who I do I think’s going to win overall? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I know who I want to win *grins*, but I have absolutely no idea who will. I’ve a feeling it may be one of the ‘heavyweights’ this year, but given that the judges have gone with lesser knowns in previous years (Anthony Doerr with The Deep in 2011 and C K Stead with Last Season’s Man in 2010), it really is anyone’s game. I look forward to March and finding out. Best of luck to all longlisted authors.
Over to you dear reader. Who do you find most exciting or surprising on this year’s Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award longlist? Is there anyone you think should have been on this year’s longlist who isn’t? And who do you think is worthy of taking this year’s top prize? Drop your comments below.
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