Poet may have last word in biggest book prize

Their works, which explore themes as varied as a futuristic take on Aberdeen, Indian mysticism and living with breast cancer, are all in line for the 30,000 Scottish Arts Council's Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year Award.

Of the four categories – fiction, non-fiction, poetry and first book – in which the award is divided for preliminary judging next month, the strongest appears to be that of poetry: seven out of the 16 entrants are poets.

On the literary fiction front, 2009 was hardly a vintage year. Apart from William Boyd, there were no major new novels from established stars, and even Boyd's Ordinary Thunderstorms failed to make the shortlist. However, those that do include AL Kennedy's short-story collection, What Becomes, alongside Death of A Ladies' Man, Alan Bissett's intense portrait of male vanity, and Liam McIlvanney's first novel, All the Colours of the Town.

While all have been favourably reviewed, John Aberdein's Strip the Willow, in which a thinly disguised Aberdeen has to fight off powerful corporate forces – might well catch the judges' attention. After all, some might argue, both the Trump golf resort plans and the Union Terrace garden development make Aberdein's fiction seem not quite so far-fetched.

The non-fiction category is hard to call. Robert Crawford's Burns biography is, as judge Pat Kane points out, "a dream pairing of two scholar-poets", but Nine Lives, William Dalrymple's first travel book in a decade, must surely find judging support.

Against those two books, US academic Donald Worster's biography of John Muir might seem the weakest link. But if relevance is one of the criteria, it cannot be, as the Dunbar-born conservationist had as great an impact on the world as any other 19th-century Scot – and this is the most complete account of his life yet.

In the poetry category, four original collections are ranged against Tom Leonard's collected works. Normally, the advantage would be with the newer work, but Leonard is a Titan in Scottish poetry, having changed the shape of the literary landscape in poetry. His Outside the Narrative might be published by a small press and, according to Amazon, be Britain's 967,433th best-selling book, but such facts are no measure of his significance.

Of the other four poets, the least well-known is Thomas A Clarke, but his book The Hundred Thousand Places draws the reader into a compelling journey across Scotland through all four seasons.

Richard Price's Rays has an inventive mixture of Scots and English that recalls Eddie Morgan in its intelligence and playfulness. John Burnside and Don Paterson, both at the height of their powers, will be equally hard to overlook.

In the first book category, the writing ranges from Momus's Ivor Cutler-like aphorisms to Sarah Gabriel's Eating Pomegranates, so brilliant as to leave the term "illness memoir" far behind.

The four category winners chosen in April each receive 5,000 – and one will be named overall winner, gaining an extra 25,000 – at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on 18 June.

And the shortlist is…

Rain by Don Paterson

His last collection, Landing Light, won the TS Eliot Prize and Whitbread Poetry prize in 2003. This includes the winner of 2008 Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem.

The Hunt in the Forest by John Burnside

Deftly beautiful poems, loosely themed around hunting down emotions and memories, from one of the country's finest poets, novelists and memoirists.

Natural Mechanical by JO Morgan

East Lothian-born author's extended poem about a Skye boy who, branded stupid at school, packs it in and goes around exploring with his dog instead.

The Ambulance Box by Andrew Philip

Dedicated to Aberdeen-born Philip's first child, who died shortly after his birth, this collection is a moving exploration of loss but ranges far beyond that too.

The Bard: Robert Burns, a biography by Robert Crawford

Biography by St Andrews academic draws on untapped sources – including rediscovered poetry by Burns himself.

What Becomes by AL Kennedy

A dozen short stories of love and hope – and often its absence – from acclaimed Glasgow author, whose last novel, Day, was 2008 Costa Book of the Year.

Strip the Willow by John Aberdein

Dark political satire meets wry love story in this novel by Aberdeen-born writer who won the inaugural Scotsman/Orange short story competition in 2004.

Solutions 11-167: The Book of Scotlands by Momus (Nick Currie)

A numbered series of 156 different varieties of Scotland that don't yet exist, from pop singer and performance artist.

Outside the Narrative by Tom Leonard

Prose pieces and newly collected poetry from respected poet, who retired last September as professor of creative writing at Glasgow University.

Rays by Richard Price

Love's complexity is explored in a variety of poetic forms in a new collection by lauded poet who is also head of Modern British Collections at the British Library.

Nine Lives: In Search of the Modern India by William Dalrymple

India-based historian and travel writer Dalrymple unpicks the rich religious heritage of the subcontinent in nine beautiful portraits.

The Hundred Thousand Places by Thomas A Clark

A single poem travels across seasons and Scottish landscapes. Clark, who lives in Pittenweem, has four previous collections.

Eating Pomegranates by Sarah Gabriel

Gabriel was about to write a novel when, at 43, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead, she gives us a history of the disease and shares her feelings.

A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir by Donald Worster

First biography of the great conservationist to use his own correspondence, from his East Lothian childhood to his death.

All the Colours of the Town by Liam McIlvanney

A Glasgow hack's story about Scottish justice minister takes him into heart of sectarianism. First novel from William McIlvanney's son.

Death of a Ladies' Man by Alan Bissett

Glasgow teacher by day and sex addict by night heedlessly wrecks lives in novel by award-winning writer much in demand as performer of his own work.