The Guardian has a fabulous gallery of book longlisted for the Orange prize in fiction. For those who don't know, this U.K. prize is open to female writers throughout the world who write in the English language. It is meant to draw attention to female writers who might otherwise be ignored by the mainstream. It is also one of the few literary prizes that is judged solely by women.
In light of the Nobel Prize controversy back in October, I wonder what it says that nine of the 20 longlisters are American. Perhaps we suddenly developed a talent for participating in "the big dialogue of literature."
