Kiran Desai, who won last year's Man Booker Prize, has been shortlisted for the 2007 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction for her book, 'The Inheritance of Loss'.
Both new and well-established writers are included in this year's six-strong shortlist for the 12th year of the £30,000 prize, which celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in international women's writing.
Authors from Nigeria (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), China (Xiaolu Guo), India (Desai) and America (Anne Tyler) are represented, with two writers that have previously been shortlisted for the Orange Prize - Adichie in 2004 and Tyler in 1996.
Two British authors - Rachel Cusk with 'Arlington Park' and Jane Harris' debut novel 'The Observations' - are also shortlisted.
Muriel Gray, Chair of judges, said that the shortlist "represents six beautifully crafted pieces of work that are as accessible as they are fascinating."
"That this outstanding writing should come from such diverse sources that includes five different nationalities, a world famous author, as well as a first-time novelist, is doubly thrilling.”
Previous winners include Zadie Smith for 'On Beauty' (2006), Lionel Shriver for 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' (2005) and Andrea Levy for 'Small Island' (2004).
The award ceremony will take place in London on 6 June.
2007 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction Shortlist
'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate)
'Arlington Park' by Rachel Cusk ( Faber & Faber)
'The Inheritance of Loss' by Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton)
'A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers' by Xiaolu Guo (Chatto & Windus)
'The Observations' by Jane Harris (Faber & Faber)
'Digging to America' by Anne Tyler (Chatto & Windus)
