SOME of Australia's most celebrated writers dominate the shortlists of the country's newest and richest literary prize, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Fiction and Non-fiction, each valued at $100,000.

Clive James's philosophical reflections Cultural Amnesia, Notes In The Margin Of My Time and Germaine Greer's scholarly study Shakespeare's Wife are among the seven nominees for the non-fiction prize; while David Malouf's compilation The Complete Stories and Thomas Keneally's The Widow And Her Hero are among the seven nominated for the fiction award.

But they are challenged by several rookies with only one or two books to their names.

In the running for the fiction prize is newcomer Steven Conte's first novel The Zookeeper's War, as is Mireille Juchau's second, Burning In.

Also vying for the non-fiction prize is Zarah Ghahramani's devastating account (with Robert Hillman) of her torture and imprisonment in Iran in her memoir My Life As A Traitor.

Announcing the shortlists yesterday, the Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, said this extraordinary variety and range revealed the wealth of writing talent in the country.

"These awards are about showcasing the strength, breadth and depth of Australia's literary talent and this shortlist of 14 great Australian books, written by some of our well-known authors as well as some emerging and debut writers, certainly does that."

The diversity in genre and subject matter of the 103 non-fiction titles that were submitted was also remarkable. War dominated as a theme or context in both sections; while relations between settler and indigenous society also preoccupied many writers in the non-fiction section.

"But literary merit was the sole criterion on which we made our decisions," said the chairwoman of the non-fiction judges, Professor Hilary Charlesworth.

"We weren't judging the value of the argument a work presented. These shortlisted books are wonderful examples of forceful, well-chosen words."

The awards were set up last year by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, "to recognise the major contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life".

Mr Rudd will choose the two winners, "on the judges' advice". No date has been set for the naming of the winners.

FICTION

El Dorado Dorothy Porter

Jamaica: A Novel

Malcolm Knox

Sorry Gail Jones

The Complete Stories

David Malouf

The Widow And Her Hero

Tom Keneally

The Zookeeper's War

Steven Conte

NON-FICTION

Raymond Evans

Cultural Amnesia: Notes In The Margin Of My Time

Clive James

My Life As A Traitor

Zarah Ghahramani, with

Robert Hillman

Napoleon: The Path To

Power Philip Dwyer

Ochre and Rust: Artefacts

And Encounters On

Australian Frontiers

Philip Jones

Shakespeare's Wife

Germaine Greer

Vietnam: The Australian

War Paul Ham