Women's Prize for Fiction 2000: Complete list of winners

The turn of the millennium brought Linda Grant’s When I Lived in Modern Times to the top of the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist, cementing the award’s reputation for championing bold, ambitious storytelling. Grant’s novel—a sprawling narrative that spans decades and continents, following a woman’s journey through twentieth-century history—exemplified exactly the kind of work the Women’s Prize has long celebrated: richly layered fiction that refuses to be categorized as niche or narrowly appealing. At the dawn of a new century, the prize was already two decades old and had become one of Britain’s most prestigious literary honors, reserved exclusively for women writing in English.

The 2000 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner demonstrated how the award had evolved beyond simply recognizing female talent—it was actively shaping literary discourse by elevating voices and narratives that might otherwise struggle for mainstream visibility. Grant’s win highlighted the prize’s commitment to rewarding novels of genuine complexity and scope, works that engage with politics, identity, and history without sacrificing emotional depth or narrative drive. As the award entered the new millennium, it continued to serve as a barometer of contemporary literary achievement, proving that women’s fiction was as vital and necessary as ever.

Fiction

• When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant