Literacy news
Man Booker prize 2011 longlist announced
26 Jul 2011
The longlist for the 2011 Man Booker prize has been announced, with Alan Hollinghurst the bookie's favourite to win the overall prize this autumn.
The full longlist is:
The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes
On Canaan's Side, Sebastian Barry
Jamrach's Menagerie, Carol Birch
The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt
Half Blood Blues, Esi Edugyan
A Cupboard Full of Coats, Yvette Edwards
The Stranger's Child, Alan Hollinghurst
Pigeon English, Stephen Kelman
The Last Hundred Days, Patrick McGuinness
Snowdrops, AD Miller
Far to Go, Alison Pick
The Testament of Jessie Lamb, Jane Rogers
Derby Day, DJ Taylor
The titles were chosen by a panel of five judges chaired by author and former director-general of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington. A total of 138 books, seven of which were called in by the judges, were considered.
Dame Stella Rimington, said:
"We are delighted by the quality and breadth of our longlist, which emerged from an impassioned discussion. The list ranges from the Wild West to multi-ethnic London via post-Cold War Moscow and Bucharest, and includes four first novels."
Hollinghurst won the prize in 2004 for The Line of Beauty, while Barry and Barnes have both been shortlisted before, and Birch was longlisted in 2003.
The shortlist of six authors will be announced on 6th September, with the winner announced on 18th October. The winner will receive £50,000 and each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their book.
The judges for the 2011 prize also comprise writer and journalist, Matthew d'Ancona; author Susan Hill; author and politician Chris Mullin; and head of books at the Daily Telegraph, Gaby Wood.
Read more at the Guardian and the Bookseller.
