“Choosing just 16 novels from 175 submissions was a marathon task,” said Sieghart. “After a lively and passionate discussion, my fellow judges were delighted to find that our 16 favourite novels were incredibly diverse, written by women of all ages from all over the world, covering different genres, and from publishers large and small. We are confident that this wonderful, eclectic and inspiring longlist will offer something to entrance every reader, both male and female.”

This year’s longlist includes five debut novelists and five previously shortlisted authors, including Leone Ross (All The Blood Is Red), Catherine Chidgey (In A Fishbone Church), Elif Shafak (The Bastard Of Istanbul and Honor, Rachel Elliott (Whispers Through A Megaphone), and Charlotte Mendelson (Almost English) who was also shortlisted for When We Were Bad.

The judging panel will now narrow the longlist to a shortlist of six novels, which will be announced on 27 April 2022. The 27th winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction will be announced on 15 June 2022 at an awards ceremony in central London.

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022: the longlist has been revealed for this year’s award