The Regional Shortlists for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize have been announced. Prizes are awarded for Best Book and Best First Book in each of the four Commonwealth Regions: Africa, Canada and Caribbean, Eurasia (Europe and South Asia), South East Asia and South Pacific. After the regional prizes are decided, overall Commonwealth winners of each category are then announced.
The list of works is quite long and should be up on the website soon. In the meantime, the following books have been shortlisted in the South East Asia and South Pacific region:
Best Book
Sandstone by Stephen Lacey
Grace by Robert Drewe
Surrender by Sonya Hartnett
March by Geraldine Brooks
Blindsight by Maurice Gee
The Marsh Birds by Eva Sallis
The Lost Thoughts of Soldiers by Delia Falconer
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Ballad of Desmond Kale by Roger McDonald
Best First Book
Affection by Ian Townsend
Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong
The Grasshopper Shoe by Carolyn Carolyn
An Accidental Terrorist by Steven Lang
The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
Road Story by Julienne Van Loon
Everyday Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany
The Patron Saint of Eels by Gregory Day
Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs by Linda Olsson
A Red Silk Sea by Gillian Ransfead
It's interesting to note that nomination in a particular region is based on citizenship, so Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee appears on the African shortlist.
