The shortlist has been announced for the 2011 Warwick Prize for Writing.

The six books selected cover a range of topics and modes of writing, all of them relating to this year's theme of colour.

The books selected are:

• The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam
• Dazzled and Deceived: Mimicry and Camouflage by Peter Forbes
• The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
• The Literature Police: Apartheid Censorship and its Cultural Consequences by Peter D McDonald
• What Color is the Sacred by Michael Taussig
• White Egrets by Derek Walcott

Read more about the books on the shortlist

The shortlist is now subject to a judging panel, chaired by former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen. Other judges include Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Thrift, Editorial Director of Chatto & Windus (part of Random House) Jenny Uglow, author and poet Erica Wagner and writer, cultural critic, public speaker and broadcaster Baroness Lola Young.

Read more about the panel of judges

The winner of the £50,000 prize will be announced at an awards ceremony at The Royal Festival Hall in London on Tuesday 22 March 2011. The winning author will also be given the opportunity to take up a short placement at the University.