HONG KONG, July 22: A total of 21 unpublished works of fiction have been long listed for a prestigious literary prize for Asian literature, the event organiser announced on Tuesday.

The works were picked from a total of 143 submissions made to the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize, said the organiser in a statement. It said that the largest single group of submissions came from India, which was followed by the Philippines.

“The long list, which contains unpublished works from throughout the region from Japan to Pakistan, demonstrates once again the depth and diversity of Asian contemporary writing,” the statement said.

The award was launched in 2007 to bring new Asian literature to the attention of the international publishing community. It is backed by the same company that sponsors the prestigious Man Booker prizes.

“We were pleased that many of the works on last year’s long list were published or are scheduled for publication, and we hope that highlighting Asian writers will have a similar effect this year and in the years to come,” the organiser said.

A panel of judges will announce a shortlist of works in October. The winner, to be unveiled in November 13, will be awarded 10,000 US dollars.

The prize was awarded last year to retired Chinese academic Jiang Rong for his work “Wolf Totem”.—AFP