Orange Prize

The Guardian published a special report recently on the tenth anniversary of the women-only Orange Prize. It's another one just for fiction in English, and long derided as sexist or for writers who can't compete with the big boys. Guardian author Geraldine Bedell wrote: At the root of this is a debate about whether literature is above gender; and whether, if there is such a thing as women's writing, it is subconsciously deemed to be inferior. Some say the Orange grew out of dissatisfaction with the Booker prize with its mostly male lists. Previous winners of the Orange are: 1996 A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore; 1997 Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels; 1998 Larry's Party by Carol Shields; 1999 A Crime in the Neighbourhood by Suzanne Berne; 2000 When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant; 2001 The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville; 2002 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; 2003 Property by Valerie Martin; and 2004 Small Island by Andrea Levy. See the longlist released on Monday.

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