One of the world’s largest literary awards for young writers, the Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize has awarded two Irish writers a space on its much-coveted longlist. 

The 2022 longlist, which offers a platform for underrepresented voices in the world of literature, sees a diverse – and skilled – collection of international writers come to the fore. 

Waterford-born Megan Nolan, whose debut Acts of Desperation – a darkly funny documentation of heartache and hedonism that centres on a young woman in a coercive relationship – is just one of the Irish writers to make this year’s longlist.

Pictured, left to right: Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan (published by Jonathan Cape), Megan Nolan photographed by Lynn Rothwell.

Alongside Nolan is Irish-based Indian-born Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe who has been selected for her poetry collection Auguries of a Minor God. Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, who grew up across the Middle East, Europe and North America before calling Ireland home, is a recipient of a Next Generation Artist Award in Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Pictured, left to right: Auguries of a Minor God by Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe (published by Faber), Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe photographed by Angela Isaac Panat.

Other longlist awardees include Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor, Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi and Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson. In total, the 2022 longlist comprises eight novels, two poetry collections and two short story collections, engaging with themes of identity, love and conflict.

The shortlist for the Dylan Thomas prize, worth £20,000, will be announced on March 31.