Australian writer Richard Flanagan has made the shortlist for the prestigious Man Booker Prize with his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Flanagan’s book is inspired by the story of Australian prisoners of war forced to work on the Burma Railway.

The Tasmanian is now in the mix with five other writers to claim the STG50,000 ($A91,000) prize when the winner is announced in mid-October in London.

Two American writers – Joshua Ferris and Karen Joy Fowler – have made the shortlist after a rule change opened up the award this year to writers of any nationality writing in English.

Previously the Booker Prize was exclusively for authors from the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe.

Former British winner Howard Jacobson, with his novel J, and twice-shortlisted Ali Smith (How to be Both) have been installed as the 3/1 joint favourites by bookmaker William Hill.

The sixth shortlisted novel, The Lives of Others, is by another British writer Neel Mukherjee.

Lead judge AC Grayling said it took a lengthy and intense debate to decide on the final list.

“We are delighted to announce our international shortlist,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“As the Man Booker Prize expands its borders these six exceptional books take the reader on journeys around the world, between the UK, New York, Thailand, Italy, Calcutta and times past, present and future.”

New Zealander Eleanor Catton won the 2013 Booker Prize with her monumental work The Luminaries.

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MAN BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLIST 2014

Howard Jacobson – J

Ali Smith – How to be Both

Neel Mukherjee – The Lives Of Others

Joshua Ferris – To Rise Again At a Decent Hour

Karen Joy Fowler – We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Richard Flanagan – The Narrow Road To The Deep North.