Man Booker Prize Archives - Evanston Public Library

2014 Booker Prize Longlist Announced

July 23, 2014

This year is the first time the Man Booker Prize, United Kingdom’s most prestigious literary award is celebrating authors of literary fiction “whether from Chicago, Sheffield or Shanghai.” Four American authors and one Irish-American writer are among the 13 finalists: Joshua Ferris for To Rise Again at a Decent Hour; Karen Joy Fowler for We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves; Siri Hustvedt for The Blazing World; Richard Powers for Orfeo and Joseph O’Neill for The Dog. Other nominees include: Richard Flanagan (Australia), Howard Jacobson (Britain), Paul Kingsnorth (Britain), David Mitchell (Britain), Neel Mukherjee (Britain), David Nicholls (Britain), Ali Smith (Britain), Niall Williams (Ireland). The winner who will receive 50,000 pounds (about $85,000) will be announced in October. Read more in these articles from the NYT and NPR.

Laura

2013 Booker Prize Awarded to Eleanor Catton

October 16, 2013

28-year old New Zealand author Eleanor Catton won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday for her 848-page novel The Luminaries. She is the youngest winner of the prestigious literary prize, and the second New Zealander (Keri Hulme won in 1985 for The Bone People) and will receive 50,000 pounds or about $80,000. A murder mystery set in 19tKeri h century New Zealand, The Luminaries is “organized into 12 sections named for the signs of the Zodiac.” The Booker Prize, traditionally awarded annually to a novelist from Britain, Ireland or a Commonwealth country, will be opened to Americans in 2014. Read more in today’s New York Times and in this NPR article.

Laura

Will American authors be eligible for the Man Booker Prize in 2014?

September 16, 2013

Reports have been circulating that the Man Booker Prize, which “aims to promote the finest in fiction by rewarding the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland,” may be open to U.S. authors next year for the first time. As expected, this news has come as a “shock” to many. Amidst the uproar, Iown Trewin, literary director of the Man Booker prizes, stated the following:

“There are going to be some changes to the rules of the Man Booker prize for fiction which have been in discussion for some while. The information which is currently in circulation is incomplete.”

Full details will be announced on September 18th. Until then, you can read more about the controversy here and here.

Olivia

Man Booker Prize Shortlist Announced

September 10, 2013

Finalists for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award were announced this morning. Open to writers from Britain, Ireland or one of the Commonwealth nations, the prize has been criticized in the past as “either too popular or not readable enough.” This year’s shortlist includes the following six finalists:

We need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo
The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton
Harvest, by Jim Crace
The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki
The Testament of Mary, by Colm Tóibín

The winner, to be named on October 15 in London, will receive a cash prize of 50,000 pounds (or approximately $78,000). Read the full article here.

Laura

2013 Booker Prize Nominees

July 24, 2013

Thirteen diverse novels have been nominated for this year’s Man Booker prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award. Robert MacFarlane, the chairman of judges, said the books “range from the traditional to the experimental, from the first century A.D. to the present day, from 100 pages to 1,000 and from Shanghai to Hendon.” The winner will be announced October 15. You can read more here. The nominated books are listed below:

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris
The Kills by Richard House
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Unexploded by Alison MacLeod
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

Laura

Julian Barnes wins the 2011 Man Booker Prize

October 18, 2011

Julian Barnes has won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, for the novel The Sense of an Ending. This is his fourth nomination and first win.

Short List for Man Booker Prize Announced

September 6, 2011

Today the head judge released the short list for the Man Booker Prize, an award given to authors from “the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland or Zimbabwe.” (Taken from the award’s rules.) Six writers will compete for the honor, namely: Julian Barnes/The Sense of an Ending; Carol Birch/Jamrach’s Menagerie; Patrick deWitt/The Sisters Brothers; Esi Edugyan/Half Blood blues; Stephen Kelman/Pigeon English; A.D. Miller/ Snowdrops. The winner will be selected October 18 in London.