The 2014 Goldsmiths prize shortlist: why its neither creative nor daring

Book prizes are good for writers, but not when an abundance of great fiction is overlooked in favour of the same few novels

I was all fired up for the announcement of the 2014 Goldsmiths prize: an award dedicated to creative daring and experimental fiction, a prize set up partly in response to the Booker prizes infamous year of readability. Last years shortlist was incredible, a real celebration of cutting-edge fiction, with the judges surpassing themselves when they selected A Girl is a Half-formed Thing as the winner, giving Eimear McBride her first big nod.

This year, it feels different. Just when you think youre about to see a set of daring books, you see well, more of the same. With three of this years Goldsmiths shortlist already longlisted for the Booker prize, its hard to see how Goldsmiths search for the qualities of creative daring is any different from the Bookers aspiration to find the best, eligible full-length novel. Some might argue that this can only be good news, a sign that three of the best books written in English are also the most daring. But when these prizes start to blur together, you start to wonder whether theres any point to literary awards.

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