5 Very Different Writers Shortlisted for Young Writer of the Year 2017

The Sunday Times / Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, in association with the University of Warwick, rewards the best work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry by a British or Irish author aged between 18 and 35. 

This year five distinctive writers, instead of the usual four, have been shortlisted and the list includes three novels, a collection of short stories and a biography.

The Shortlisted Authors

• Minoo Dinshaw - Outlandish Knight – The Byzantine Life of Steven Runciman (Allen Lane).
  A biography of a great and strange British historian.
• Claire North - The End of the Day (Orbit)
  A novel of life, death and everything in between.
• Julianne Pachico - The Lucky Ones (Faber & Faber)
  A debut collection of stories, mostly set in Columbia, brings together the fate of guerrilla soldiers, rich kids rabbits and drug dealers.
• Sally Rooney - Conversations with Friends (Faber & Faber)
  An intimate story of high-risk relationships, youth and love.
• Sara Taylor - The Lauras (Windmill)
  The Lauras explores identity and relationships set against a rolling backdrop of the North American landscape.

This year the prize is being judged by the award-winning novelist and political commentator Elif Shafak and the acclaimed cultural historian and biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett alongside The Sunday Times literary editor Andrew Holgate. 

Commenting on the shortlist Elif Shafak said "Our wonderful shortlist celebrates the depth and breadth of literature today, reflecting a striking diversity of styles, interests, genres and backgrounds. True, only one of these authors will win the prize in the end, but each of the five shortlisted books has already won our hearts, and we are confident that they will similarly win the hearts of readers worldwide."

£5,000 is given to the overall winner together with a bespoke 10-week residency at the University of Warwick and £400 to each of the four runners-up together with a year-round programme of on-campus and digital support for award alumni on this year’s shortlist.

To celebrate the partnership, the University of Warwick is holding a free one-day festival of events and workshops, bringing together inspirational thinkers, authors, journalists and performers: freeflow will take place on Wednesday, 29 November. More information can be found at warwick.ac.uk/youngwriter. 

You can keep up to date with the award and join the conversation, via: youngwriteraward.com | twitter.com/youngwriteryear