Author Samantha Harvey has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction for her debut novel. Harvey, whose book The Wilderness tells the story of a man suffering from Alzheimers disease, is nominated alongside five other writers. Irishwoman Deirdre Madden is the only fiction writer to have made the shortlist previously, in 1997. The prize, which recognises the work of fiction written by women around the world, will be announced on 3 June. The winner of the 14th prize will receive a cheque for 30,000 and a bronze statue called the Bessie at a ceremony in Londons Royal Festival Hall. The other authors on the shortlist are US writer Ellen Feldman, with her story of race and crime in 1930s Alabama. US writers Marilynne Robinson for Home and Samantha Hunt for The Invention of Everything Else have also been nominated, alongside Pakistan-born novelist Kamila Shamsie for Burnt Shadows, which encompasses World War II to the present day. Broadcaster Fi Glover, head of this years judging panel, said whittling down the contenders to the final six was far harder than I had imagined. We all left the judging room proud of the list we had chosen, she added. Bookmakers have installed Feldman as the favourite to win with her novel Scottsboro. Last years recipient of the prize was Rose Tremain for her novel The Road Home. Previous winners have included Zadie Smith, Andrea Levy and the late Canadian author Carol Shields. BBC