Mantel makes it a clean sweep of awards shortlists

HILARY Mantel yesterday became the first author to be shortlisted for all four of Britain's top fiction awards when her novel Wolf Hall was announced as one of the six books in the running for the £30,000 Orange Prize.

Mantel's novel about the rise to power of Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell has already become the best-selling winner of the Man Booker Prize in its 40-year history. It was also been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award in January and last month was selected as one of the seven books in the running for the inaugural 25,000 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.

Joining Mantel on the shortlist for the only annual UK prize specifically for fiction written by women are two first-time novelists – Briton Rosie Alison (for The Very Thought of You) and American Attica Lock (for Black Water Rising).

Americans Barbara Kingsolver (The Lacuna) and Lorrie Moore (A Gate at the Stairs), and Trinidad-bornMonique Roffey (The White Woman on the Green Bicycle) complete the list.