Orange 2004 Price for Fiction
The winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction receives about $60,000, which is anonymously endowed and a limited edition bronze figurine called the 'Bessie' - right. (also anonymously endowed). Created by the artist Grizel Niven, the 7.5 inch figure of a standing woman is cast in bronze once a year and presented to the winning author, along with her cheque, at the Award Ceremony.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Doubleday), First novel, author Bangladeshi/British.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Bloomsbury), Eleventh novel, author Canadian.
The Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa (Viking), First novel, author Indian.
Kith & Kin by Stevie Davies (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Ninth novel, author British.
State of Happiness by Stella Duffy (Virago), Eighth novel, author British/New Zealander
The Flood by Maggie Gee (Saqi Books), Ninth novel, author British.
The Electric Michelangelo:: by Sarah Hall (Faber and Faber), Second novel, author British.
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard (Virago), Fourth novel, author Australian/American.
Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller (Viking) Second novel, author British.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Flamingo) First novel, author British/American.
A Visit from Voltaire by Dinah Lee Küng (Peter Halban Publishers) Second novel, author American.
Small Island by Andrea Levy (Review) Fourth novel, author British.
Gilgamesh by Joan London (Atlantic Books) First novel, author Australian.
The Internationals by Sarah May (Chatto & Windus) Third novel, author British.
Love by Toni Morrison (Chatto & Windus) Ninth novel, author American.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate) First novel, author Nigerian.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Jonathan Cape) First novel, author American.
Ice Road by Gillian Slovo (Little, Brown) Tenth novel, author South African.
The Colour by Rose Tremain (Chatto & Windus) Eleventh novel, author British.
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (Chatto & Windus) Sixteenth novel, author American.
The founders of the prize were concerned that many of the biggest literary prizes often appeared to over look wonderful writing by women. And, since prizes are so instrumental in telling potential readers about writers, we did think that many novels by women were possibly not being brought to the attention of male and female readers who'd appreciate them.
In January 1992, a group of men and women involved in publishing - journalists, reviewers, agents, publishers, librarians, booksellers - met to decide if there was any way to widen the net and to try to introduce a prize that would be less traditional and that would put readers at the centre.