Worth €100,000 to the winner, the award is the most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction written in English. It is sponsored by Dublin City Council.
Among the longlist of 71 books is Paul Lynch’s dystopian novel Prophet Song, for which the Limerick-born author was awarded the 2023 Booker Prize.
Also included is Wild Houses, the Co Mayo-set debut novel by Colin Barrett, which continues to enjoy success after Barrett won the debut fiction prize at the Nero Book Awards.
John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, is included on the longlist for his latest novel Water. Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel Hagstone tells the story of artist Nell and her life on a remote island.
Having won the award in 2006 for The Master, Colm Tóibín has been nominated for Long Island, a follow-up to Brooklyn, the novel that served as the source material for the Saoirse Ronan-led film of the same name.
Seaborne by Nuala O’Connor, a portrayal of the life 18th century pirate Anne Bonny and Christ on a Bike by Orla Owen, a story about a woman who comes into an unexpected inheritance, round out the Irish nominees.
The shortlist for the award will be announced on March 25 ahead of the overall winner being announced by Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain on May 22 as part of the International Literary Festival Dublin.
“For over 30 years the Dublin Literary Award has connected readers through the best of fiction from around the world. I am delighted to see that this year’s longlist continues to reflect the breadth of imagination we associate with the award showcasing cultures, traditions and unique perspectives,” Ms Blain said.
The panel of judges for the Dublin Literary Award features Dutch author and 2010 winner Gerbrand Bakker, award-winning Irish author and newspaper columnist Martina Devlin, Paris-based writer and poet Fiona Sze-Lorrain, professor of American literature at Fordham University Leonard Cassuto and Dublin-based poet Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe
“A special commitment is required to judge the Dublin Literary Award with its eclectic range of books nominated from libraries across the world. I commend the dedication and expertise of this year’s judging panel with a special thanks to the chair, Professor Chris Morash,” Dublin City librarian Mairead Owens said.
