Saltire book prize shortlists announced
- Published
The history, poetry, research, literature and first book shortlists include Kirsty Wark and Sally Magnusson
Broadcasters Kirsty Wark and Sally Magnusson are among the authors shortlisted for the prestigious Saltire literary prize.
The shortlists for the five award categories which make up the annual Saltire Literary Awards were announced at the Wigtown Book Festival.
Also on the lists are writers AL Kennedy, Anne Donovan and Ali Smith.
The winner from each category goes forward to the Book of the Year Award, which comes with a £10,000 cash prize.
The shortlists cover history, poetry, research, literature and first book, with each award worth a £2,000 prize.
'Quality and range'
Saltire Society executive director Jim Tough said: "Once again, this year's judging panel has been truly impressed by the quality and range of books to be considered for the 2014 shortlist.
"Ranging from poetry and plays to novels and non-fiction, extending the length and breadth of the country and far beyond, here is a wealth of contemporary literature written by Scots or inspired by Scottish culture, landscape and history."
Kirsty Wark is shortlisted in the Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year Award category for her novel The Legacy Of Elizabeth Pringle, while Sally Magnusson is on the shortlist for the Scottish Literary Book of the Year Award for her work Where Memories Go, a first hand account of dementia and memory loss in the family.
She is up against works including The James Plays by Rona Munro, a trilogy of plays following the fortunes of James I, II and III, which were dramatised as part of the 2014 Edinburgh International Festival.
Award ceremony
Books in the research category cover topics such as the societal changes to traditional dialects in fishing communities in the north east of Scotland, and the life of 19th Century mountaineer Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, while history books examine topics such as religion in modern Scotland and Scottish urban history in art.
The winners of all award categories will be announced at a special ceremony on 11 November.
The Saltire Literary Awards are organised by the Saltire Society, a non-political independent charity founded in 1936.