Writers from China, Nigeria, India and the US have made the shortlist for this year's Orange Prize for Fiction.

India's Kiran Desai, the 2006 Booker Prize winner, leads the nominations for her book The Inheritance of Loss.

Xiaolu Guo, from China, America's Anne Tyler and Nigeria's Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie also make the list.

The £30,000 Orange Prize for Fiction celebrates female writing.

"The 2007 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction shortlist is incredibly exciting," said Muriel Gray, chair of judges.

"It represents six beautifully crafted pieces of work that are as accessible as they are fascinating.

"That this outstanding writing should come from such diverse sources that includes five different nationalities, a world famous author, as well as a first-time novelist, is doubly thrilling."

She added: "As chair of this year's judges, I'd like to say how exhilarating the process has been, and how gratifying it is that the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction helps further expose women authors at this level of excellence to as wide a reading public as possible."

Last year's Orange Prize for Fiction was won by London author Zadie Smith for On Beauty.

Other previous winners include Lionel Shriver, Andrea Levy, Valerie Martin and Ann Patchett.

The announcement of the 2007 winner will be made in London on June 6.

2007 ORANGE PRIZE SHORTLIST:
Anne Tyler - Digging to America
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun
Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss
Rachel Cusk - Arlington Park
Xiaolu Guo - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Jane Harris - The Observations