PROSECUTED AUTHOR LONGLISTED FOR ORANGE FICTION PRIZE
by Astrid Zweynert and by Jeremy Lovell
Reuters
March 18 2008
LONDON (Reuters) – A writer whose novel put her on trial for "insulting
Turkishness" has been longlisted for a prestigious British fiction
prize.
Elif Shafak, author of the bestselling "The Bastard of Istanbul"
was one of 20 writers longlisted on Tuesday for the Orange Broadband
Prize for Fiction.
Shafak was prosecuted in Turkey over comments made by characters in
her book about the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. She
was acquitted in 2006 by an Istanbul court.
The book tells the interweaving stories of a Turkish and an Armenian
family in the United States and Istanbul.
Shafak, born in France of Turkish descent, was named as one of 20
writers longlisted for the Orange Prize, which is open to any female
author writing in English.
The Orange Prize longlist includes seven debut novelists alongside
veterans like Deborah Moggach, who is longlisted for her 16th novel,
"In The Dark".
It also features Anne Enright’s "The Gathering", which won the Man
Booker prize 2007.
Linda Grant, who previously won the Orange prize with "When I Lived
In Modern Times", is nominated again for her latest book, "The Clothes
On Their Backs".
The novel is one of several in this year’s longlist to deal with
immigration.
First novelists include Carol Topolski, for "Monster Love".
Another first novelist, Patricia Wood, is nominated for "Lottery",
which was inspired by her father winning the Washington State Lottery.
The winner of the 30,000 pound prize will be announced at a ceremony
on June 4.
Recent previous winners include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith
and Lionel Shriver.
Kirsty Lang, who chairs the judges’ panel, dismissed critics who
refute the need for a female writers’ prize.
"The Orange has become a celebration of women’s literature," said
Young. "There are women’s books that women like more than men and it
would be foolish to ignore that."
The other judges are singer Lily Allen, novelist Philippa Gregory,
novelist Bel Mooney, and Guardian Review editor Lisa Allardice.