Seán Hewitt shortlisted for Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize

British-Irish author Seán Hewitt has been shortlisted for Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, the world’s largest literary award for young writers, for his debut novel Open, Heaven.

This year’s shortlist comprises four novels and two poetry collections, and also includes nominees Harriet Armstrong, Colwill Brown, Shash Debevec-McKenny, Suzannah V.Evans and Derek Owusu.

Hewitt’s Open, Heaven explores hidden desire on the cusp of adulthood and has been described by Judge Prajwal Parajuly as a “tender exploration of love and desire—heart-rending and deeply lyrical.”

Speaking of the novel to Hot Press last May, the author had described the lyrical quality of his writing as “subconscious,” explaining that “When I’m writing and revising a poem, it’s often how it sounds that’s important to me. If I pause on a word, it’s usually because it doesn’t quite fit the sound of the poem, so I find another word. Because that’s how I edit poetry, it’s also how I edited the prose in the novel.”

Hewitt was also shortlisted for the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize last year, for his poetry collection Rapture’s Road.

The winner will be announced during a ceremony in Swansea on Thursday May 14, marking International Dylan Thomas Day, and will receive a prize of £20,000.

Find more information on this year's nominees here.