Desmond Elliott Prize longlist announced

The longlist for the 2012 Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction, which recognises the finest emerging talent in the literary world, has been announced.

Ten novels are in contention for the award, which was inaugurated in memory of the celebrated publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott and carries a prize of GBP 10,000.

This year's longlist features S. J. Watson, who won the crime and thriller prize at the Galaxy National Book Awards for Before I Go to Sleep, and Chibundu Onuzo, who at 18 years old is the youngest person ever nominated for the prize for her novel The Spider King's Daughter.

The contenders also include two academics - Benjamin Wood, a lecturer in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, who is longlisted for The Bellwether Revivals, and Patrick McGuinness, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Oxford University, who is nominated for The Last Hundred Days.

Other candidates include the playwright and actress Rachel Joyce, who is longlisted for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and former ghostwriter Jennie Erdal, who is in contention with The Missing Shade of Blue.

The longlist is completed by Patrick Flanery's Absolution, Bed by David Whitehouse, Grace McCleen's The Land Of Decoration and Care Of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles.

A shortlist of three books will be unveiled in May, with the winner announced on June 28th at Fortnum & Mason in London.

Last year's GBP 10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction was won by Anjali Joseph for her acclaimed novel Saraswati Park.