Americans out in force for Booker
Print Edition
THE Americans have arrived in force for Britain’s Booker literary prize.
Five United States-based writers are on the 13-book long-list for the prestigious fiction award, unveiled yesterday.
This is the first year writers of all nationalities have been eligible for the Booker, previously open only to authors from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies.
The roster includes Americans Joshua Ferris, Karen Joy Fowler, Siri Hustvedt and Richard Powers, as well as Irish-born, US-based writer Joseph O’Neill.
Also on the list are Britain’s Howard Jacobson, Neel Mukherjee, Paul Kingsnorth, David Mitchell, David Nicholls and Ali Smith, Ireland’s Niall Williams and Australia’s Richard Flanagan.
Some British writers have expressed fears that the change in eligibility may lead to US dominance of the 45-year-old award, officially named the Man Booker Prize after its sponsor, financial services firm Man Group PLC.
This year Britons are still in the majority, and there is only one writer — Flanagan — from a Commonwealth country other than Britain. Only three of the nominees are women.
“The absence of any authors from Africa or Asia is perhaps the more striking aspect of the spread of nationalities,” said Jonathan Ruppin, a spokesman for bookstore chain Foyles.
Philosopher AC Grayling, who chairs the judging panel, said that in a “vintage year” for fiction, the judges were looking only for quality.
“It didn’t matter to us if they were written by men or women, by Americans or Australians or Brits,” Grayling said.
A six-book shortlist for the 50,000-pound (US$85,000) prize will be out on September 9, and the winner unveiled in London on October 14.
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