Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen has been shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2025.
The judges said: ‘Set in China during the 1970’s and 80’s, culminating in the mass student uprising in Tiananmen Square and its harrowing aftermath, Wen’s outstanding, epic tale is beautifully told.’
Lucy Popescu (chair of the judging panel) commented: ‘We are thrilled to announce our shortlist of six outstanding debuts. These brilliant novelists cover complex issues including state repression, belonging and identity, rural life, masculinity, loss and bereavement. These are diverse and compelling narratives written with real flair and compassion.’
The prize is open to any debut novel written in English and published in the UK between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2024. The prize of £2500 exists to support UK-based authors, publishers and agents, so the novel must originate in the UK and not have been published anywhere else in the world before its UK publication. Inaugurated in 1954, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award is now in its 71st year, making it the longest-running UK prize for debut fiction and – except for the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden – the oldest literary prize in Britain.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday 21 May.