Three Irish novelists on Orange Prize longlist

Irish novelists Aifric Campbell, Anne Enright and Emma Donoghue are among 20 writers to feature on this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction longlist. The British prize is for fiction written by a woman.

Campbell is nominated for her third novel, On The Floor,which tells the story of a female investment banker in early 1990s London. Campbell was originally an investment banker before becoming a writer, but has said it is not autobiographical.

Emma Donoghue is nominated for The Sealed Letter.Her previous novel, the international bestseller Room, was shortlisted for the Orange prize and the Man Booker Prize. Anne Enright earned a place on the longlist with The Forgotten Waltz,a novel about love and betrayal in Celtic Tiger Dublin.

The Orange shortlist will be announced on April 17th and the winner on May 30th. The winner will receive a cheque for £30,000.