Racial diversity has gradually increased, after no black authors were shortlisted in four of the years between 1996 and 2009
More than a fifth of the authors shortlisted for
British literary prizes last year were black, a turnaround for an industry in which no black authors were shortlisted in four of the years between 1996 and 2009.
In 1996, there was not a single black author shortlisted in prize shortlists analysed by the Guardian, but that figure jumped to 21% in 2020.