IMPAC prize‎

Primbon - Celebrated writers Marilynne Robinson, Zoe Heller and Joseph O'Neill are among the finalists vying for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, organizers announced from Ireland on Monday.

The three veteran authors were among the eight shortlisted for the annual prize, worth 100,000 euros (about $130,000).

This year's contenders are:

* The Twin, by Dutch writer Gerbrand Bakker (in translation).

* The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Moroccan and French writer Muriel Barbery (in translation).

* In Zodiac Light, by British writer Robert Edric.

* Settlement, by German writer Christoph Hein (in translation).

* The Believers, by British writer Zoe Heller.

* Netherland, by Irish writer Joseph O’Neill.

* God's Own Country, by British writer Ross Raisin.

* Home, by U.S. writer Marilynne Robinson.

A six-judge panel will now debate this year's short list, pared down from the 156 titles nominated by public libraries in countries such as Ireland, Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Brazil, the U.S. and Canada.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Dublin on June 17.

First presented in 1996, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award celebrates excellence in world literature and is open to novels published in or translated into English over the past two years.

Past winners have included Canadians Rawi Hage (2008 for De Niro's Game) and Alistair MacLeod (2001 for No Great Mischief), Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk (2003 for My Name is Red), Australia's David Malouf (1996 for Remembering Babylon) and British author Nicola Barker (2000 for Wide Open).