Here's the shortlist for the £10,000 Ondaatje Prize.

Today, the shortlist for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize was announced. This £10,000 prize is awarded every year to a book—be it fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—that best evokes the spirit of a place. In other words: here’s a great reading list for armchair travel if you are feeling claustrophobic in your home. The winner will be announced on May 4th.

Congratulations to the finalists!

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Jay Bernard, Surge
(Chatto & Windus)

Tishani Doshi, Small Days and Nights
(Bloomsbury Circus)

Robert Macfarlane, Underland
(Hamish Hamilton)

Roger Robinson, A Portable Paradise
(Peepal Tree Press)

Elif Shafak, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
(Viking)

Jumoke Verissimo, A Small Silence
(Cassava Republic Press)

[via The Bookseller]