Gwyneth Lewis says her latest collection arose out of a part translation of her own detective novel.

The shortlisted trio, announced at the Hay Literary Festival, includes a novel, a book of short stories and another book of poetry.

The winner of the �5,000 English language prize will be announced on 17 June in Cardiff.

The winner of the Welsh language prize will be unveiled at the same time.

Cardiff-born poet Gwyneth Lewis is among the three writers whittled down from a longer list of 10 for the English language prize.

Her collection, "Keeping Mum" was inspired by her own Welsh language detective novel "Y Llofrudd Iaith" (the Language Murderer)

Set in a mental hospital, the "murder victim" is the Welsh language itself.

Writer John Updike in conversation with James Naughtie before an audience at the Hay Festival.

"It seems to me if you can talk about a language dying, you can talk about it being murdered - I was being nosey and wanted to know, did she jump or was she pushed?" she said.

Niall Griffith's novel "Stump" is about a one-armed man who escapes to Aberystwyth in mid Wales after stealing money.

Griffiths, who was born in Liverpool but who now himself lives in Aberystwyth said: "It's also about reinventing yourself, salvation and escaping from your past, which we all do to some extent."

Emyr Humphreys is shortlisted for his book of admittedly long short stories, "Old People Are A Problem."

He said: "I'm long winded and a novelist really and found myself creating more of a 'novella,' which is a short form popular in Italy and France."

Dr Rowan Williams' book of poetry, which failed to make the final three, was on a subject close to any clergyman's heart - considerations of life and death.

Meanwhile, American writer John Updike was the highlight of a number of sell-out events at the Hay-on-Wye festival on Sunday.

As fans in the audience had hoped, the Pulitzer Prize winner talked about the progress of his Rabbit novels.

John Updike, signing copies of his books after his appearence at the Hay Festival.

But he also took time to discuss America, its society and place in the world, from Vietnam to Iraq - views which he admitted had often set him apart from fellow contemporary writers.

Updike, 72, also worried about childhood obesity fuelled by the food industry producing "lazy louts watching TV all day" and explained his yearning for Hollywood films made for the over-65s.

He joked that his new novel, Villages, to be published in America in the autumn, would be "more of the same", and would deal with how small communities shaped people.

"They make you do things you wouldn't normally do," he said.

The festival runs until 6 June.