Australian authors dominate Walter Scott book prize shortlist

Three of the five finalists are Australian writers

Australian authors make up the majority of contenders for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.

Steven Conte, Kate Grenville and Pip Williams occupy three of the five potential winners spots on the shortlist for the £25,000 award.

Maggie O'Farrell and Hilary Mantel are the other contenders.

The winner - usually announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose - will be announced online in June as that event has moved to a later date.

The shortlisted titles are:

• The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte

• A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville

• The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

• Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

A statement from the judges said it was the first time Australian writers had made up the majority of their shortlist.

It said the books were not just a "masterclass in writing" they also offered experiences readers were "unlikely to forget".

First awarded in 2010, the prize is usually given out at the Borders Book Festival but it has moved to later in the year due to Covid restrictions.

The honour will now be awarded at an online event in June instead.