Climate fiction shortlist: writers grapple with ecological collapse
Madeleine Thien and Robbie Arnott are among the authors shortlisted for the prestigious £10,000 Climate Fiction Prize, highlighting a surge in literary engagement with the climate crisis. The second annual award celebrates novels that creatively explore the escalating ecological challenges facing the planet.
Shortlist features diverse voices and imaginative worlds
This year’s selection spans a broad spectrum of approaches, from speculative narratives to reimagined folklore. Thien’sThe Book of Records offers a harrowing glimpse into a near-future China ravaged by flooding, following a young girl's journey to a migrant compound called the Sea. The novel meticulously details the human cost of climate change alongside persistent social inequities, weaving personal and historical threads across generations. The Guardian lauded it as a “rich and beautiful novel.”
Arnott’sDusk, featuring twins hunting a puma in the Tasmanian wilderness, has been described by James Bradley in The Guardian as “starkly beautiful and deeply felt.” The novel subtly explores the fragility of ecosystems and the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world.
Also vying for the prize is The Tiger’s Share, Keshava Guha’s second novel, which uses the backdrop of polluted Delhi to examine sibling rivalry and societal tensions. Susanna Kwan’s debut, Awake in the Floating City, paints a haunting portrait of a flooded San Francisco in 2124, centered on an artist caring for an elderly woman – two of the last inhabitants of a submerged metropolis.
The shortlisted novels tackle the intersection of climate change with other global crises. Maria Reva’sEndling, previously longlisted for the Booker Prize, examines environmental collapse alongside Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, earning praise for its “dexterous and formally inventive” narrative.
Helen Phillips’sHum envisions a near future dominated by automated “hums” and poisoned environments, a “mesmerising and scary” world according to Daisy Hildyard in The Guardian. The judging panel includes Arifa Akbar, chief theatre critic at The Guardian, and novelists Kit de Waal and Jessie Greengrass, alongside climate scientist Friederike Otto and broadcaster Simon Savidge.
Titles that were longlisted but ultimately not selected include Every Version of You by Grace Chan, Helm by Sarah Hall, and Albion by Anna Hope. The Climate Spring-funded award, launched in June 2024, aims to promote stories that explore power, accountability, community, and resilience. The inaugural winner was Abi Daré’sAnd So I Roar. The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on May 27th.