The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, a $25,000 award honouring a book-length work of imaginative fiction, has announced its shortlist for the 2024 prize. The prize, created to continue Le Guin’s legacy, celebrates writers whose work reflects themes central to her own, including hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity’s place in the natural world.
The inaugural prize in 2022 went to Khadija Abdalla Bajaber for The House of Rust, and in 2023, Rebecca Campbell received the prize for Arboreality. The recipient of the 2024 prize will be chosen by a panel of authors including Margaret Atwood, Omar El Akkad, Megan Giddings, Ken Liu and Carmen Maria Machado. The winner will be announced on October 21, Ursula K. Le Guin’s birthday.
The shortlisted books for the 2024 prize are:
-The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
-The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher
-It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken
-Orbital by Samantha Harvey
-Sift by Alissa Hattman
-Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson
-The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson
-The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed
-Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
-Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
Each of these books showcases unique storytelling and world-building, reflecting the diverse and imaginative nature of Ursula K. Le Guin’s work. The prize aims to provide meaningful recognition and support to writers who might otherwise not receive it, promoting a broader and more inclusive literary landscape.
