The Royal Society of Literature has revealed the shortlist for this year’s Ondaatje Prize, awarded to writers of fiction, non-fiction or poetry resident in the Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland, whose work evokes ‘the spirit of a place’.

This year’s shortlist is: Rana Dasgupta’s non-fictional portrait of 21st century Delhi, Capital (also nominated for this year’s Orwell Prize, which last year shared a winner with the Ondaatje); Orange Prize-winner Helen Dunmore’s novel of the First World War, The Lie; Tobias Hill’s multi-generational family saga set in London’s east end, What Was Promised; Justin Marozzi’s historical portrait Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood; Sigrid Rausing’s account of her time spent completing anthropological fieldwork in a former Soviet border protection zone in Estonia in the early 90s, Everything is Wonderful; and Elif Shafak’s historical novel set in sixteenth century Istanbul, The Architect’s Apprentice.

The judging panel for this year’s prize consists of Tash Aw, Jonathan Keates and Fiona Sampson, who say of the shortlist: