As globalization forces countries to become more knowledgeable about their neighbors, the Kiriyama Prize, which honors books that help people to better understand the nations of the Pacific rim, is taking on greater importance.

"In light of the cataclysmic events of this past year, and with rumors of war in the air, the need to recognize and listen to voices of all kinds from around the world has never been more imperative," said Peter Coughlan, administrator of the prize. "It is in the true sprit of our Pacific Rim Voices projects to understand and celebrate these writers, and to make them known to audiences who might otherwise have remained unaware of their work."

The judges on this year's panel named the five finalists for the fiction and non-fiction awards last week. The winners will split a $30,000 prize.

Among the ten books that stood out among the 363 entries were 'Red Poppies,' a political novel by Alai, an ethnic Tibetan living in China and Robert Barclay's 'Melal: A Novel of the Pacific,' a story about the indigenous population of the Marshall Islands, which the United States military used for nuclear tests.

Also honored in the fiction category were 'Family Matters,' by Indian-Canadian author Rohinton Mistry, 'The Girl From the Coast,' by Indonesia's Pramoedya Ananta Toer, a former political prisoner, and 'Dirt Music,' by Australian writer Tim Winton.
In the non-fiction category, judges selected 'Singing to the Dead: A Missioner's Life Among Refugees From Burma,' by former relief worker Victoria Armour-Hileman, 'Korean Endgame: A Strategy for Reunification and U.S. Disengagement,' by former Washington Post reporter Selig S. Harrison and 'Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912,' by Donald Keene.

Also in the running for the non-fiction award is the autobiography 'From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey,' by Pascal Khoo Thwe, and 'The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices,' by Xinran Xue.

The Pacific Rim includes East and Southeast Asia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and the Pacific-bordering countries of Latin America.

Past Kiriyama winners have included Alan Brown, Cheng Ch'ing-wen, Patricia Grace, Peter Hessler, Michael David Kwan, Michael Ondaatje and Andrew X. Pham.

The prize is co-sponsored by the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Institute and the University of San Francisco's Center for the Pacific Rim. The winners will be announced on Oct. 29.