The Sunday Times Fiction Prize and Alan Paton Award Shortlists 2010

On the 3rd of June, the shortlists for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Alan Paton Award for Non-Fiction were announced at a chic event in Johannesburg. The lists included well known authors such as Imraan Coovadia and Andre Brink and lesser known authors such as the debut novelist Zinaid Meeran.

Tymon Smith, the Sunday Times literary editor, explains that the 2010 Alan PAton shortlist, "reflects the dedication of local authors to exploring new directions in personal ways that lead readers to reflect on where we are and where we are going. It's now up to the judges to reconsider the five titles before reaching a final decision".

The Alan Paton Award nominees are:

• Ways of Staying by Kevin Bloom, Picador Africa
• A Fork in the Road by Andre Brink, Harvill Secker
• Begging to be Black by Antjie Krog, Random House Struik 
• The Honour to Serve by James Ngculu, David Philip 
• The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law by Albie Sachs, Oxford University Press

With regards to the Fiction Prize list Smith says that, "with a choice of titles that reflect established and young voices and their contributions to the task of taking local fiction into the future, this year's shortlist is a proud demonstration of the literary strength of South African authors".

The Sunday Times Fiction Award nominees are:

• Summertime by JM Coetzee, Harvill Secker
• High low In-between by Imraan Coovadia, Umuzi
• Saracen at the Gate by Zinaid Meeran, Jacana
• The Book of the Dead by Kgebetli Moele, Kwela Books
• Small Moving Parts by Sally-Ann Murray, Kwela Books

This year’s short list announcement included three honorary mentions which went to Johannesburg Transition: Architecture and Society from 1950 by Clive Chipkin; Invaded: The Biological Invasion of South Africa by Leonie Joubert, and Alf Kumalo: Through my Lens by Alf Kumalo.

To read a full account of the nominees and the shortlists in Tymon Smiths article in the Sunday Times on June 5th click here.