LONDON, April 1 -- Novels by women writers about a family exiled from Iran, a suburban French witch and an Albanian sworn virgin have made the shortlist for the International Booker Prize, organisers announced Tuesday.

The prestigious award, to be handed out at a ceremony at London's Tate Modern gallery on May 19, recognises works of fiction from around the world that have been translated into English.

The £50,000 (US$62,000; RM267,042.12) prize is split equally between the author and the translator.

This is the 10th year that the prize has been awarded in its current form. Organisers say the award gives the authors a significant boost in profile and sales.

Four winners have gone on to become Nobel laureates.

The books on this y...