2010 Desmond Elliott Prize Shortlist

MARIA ALLEN’s Before the Earthquake (Tindal Street Press), Ali Shaw’s The Girl with Glass Feet (Atlantic Books) and Jacob Polley’s Talk of the Town (Picador) have been shortlisted for the 2010 Desmond Elliott Prize for a first novel published in the United Kingdom. The award was established in 2007 in honour of the publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott, who died in 2003.

The three books cover a range of genres from a coming-of-age tale to historical fiction and magical realism. The judges were especially struck by the boldness, originality and ambition of these three very different writers. With settings ranging from early 20th-century southern Italy, to the northern English city of Carlisle in the 1980s to the mysterious St. Hauda’s Land, their novels make up a diverse, intriguing and hugely rewarding shortlist.

The judging panel is made up of writer Elizabeth Buchan, literary editor of The Observer William Skidelsky and independent bookseller James Daunt.

The winner of the £10,000 award will be announced on June 23, 2010 at Fortnum & Mason in London. Edward Hogan won in 2009 for his novel Blackmoor while Nikita Lalwani won in 2008 for Gifted.