Folio Prize shortlist includes Ben Lerner, Colm Toibin, Ali Smith

The Folio Prize, designed to raise the literariness of literary awards, has announced its 2015 shortlist. The winner will receive an award of $60,000.

The fiction prize is based in England and books must be published there, but authors need not be from the U.K. to be eligible. The eight-book shortlist includes two Americans and one author from Kenya.

The shortlisted books are:

“Outline” by Rachel Cusk

“10:04” by Ben Lerner

“Dept. of Speculation” by Jenny Offill

“Dust” by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

“Family Life” by Akhil Sharma

“How to Be Both” by Ali Smith

“All My Puny Sorrows” by Miriam Toews

“Nora Webster” by Colm Tóibín

Front-runners for the award are Smith and Tóibín, both well-known writers in the U.K. Smith’s latest novel, “How to Be Both,” was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and Tóibín has been shortlisted for the Man Booker for previous novels.

The Folio Prize is now in its second year. Its first prize was awarded to George Saunders for his short story collection “Tenth of December.”

The Folio Prize will be awarded March 23 in London at a ceremony capping off the three-day Folio Prize Festival.

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