Man Booker Prize long list includes writers Colum McCann, Tash Aw
The long list for the 2013 Man Booker Prize was recently announced, with 13 contenders vying for the top award.
The Man Booker Prize is bestowed on an author from the UK, Ireland, or one of the Commonwealth Nations (including Australia, Canada, and India).
Last year鈥檚 prize was won by popular author Hilary Mantel for her novel 鈥淏ring Up the Bodies,鈥� which followed Tudor courtier Thomas Cromwell. The author made history for being the first woman writer and first British author to take the prize twice.
This year鈥檚 long list features writers from seven different countries. Nominees include 鈥淔ive Star Billionaire鈥� by Tash Aw, 鈥淲e Need New Names鈥� by NoViolet Bulawayo, and 鈥淭ransAtlantic鈥� by Colum McCann.
In a , Robert Macfarlane, who is serving as the chair of the judging panel this year and is a writer as well as a member of the faculty at Cambridge University, noted the diversity of this year's list.聽
鈥漈his is surely the most diverse long list in Man Booker history: wonderfully various in terms of geography, form, length and subject," Macfarlane said. 鈥淭hese 13 outstanding novels range from the traditional to the experimental, from the first century AD to the present day, from 100 pages to 1,000 and from Shanghai to Hendon.鈥�
Two writers of this year's nominees have previously appeared on the Man Booker Prize short list. Colm T贸ib铆n, who is nominated for his novel 鈥淭he Testament of Mary,鈥� and writer Jim Crace, who received a nod for his book 鈥淗arvest,鈥� have both been Booker nominees in the past.
Three writers 鈥� Donal Ryan of 鈥淭he Spinning Heart,鈥� NoViolet Bulawayo of 鈥淲e Need New Names,鈥� and Eve Harris of 鈥淭he Marrying of Chani Kaufman鈥� 鈥� were nominated for debut novels.
Other nominees include 鈥�The Kills鈥� by Richard House, 鈥淎 Tale for the Time Being鈥� by Ruth Ozeki, 鈥淭he Luminaries鈥� by Eleanor Catton, 鈥淎lmost English鈥� by Charlotte Mendelson, "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri, and 鈥淯nexploded鈥� by Alison MacLeod.
The list will be cut down to six for the short list, which will be announced in September. The prize is scheduled to be bestowed on Oct. 15.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our reviews of "We Need New Names," "TransAtlantic," and "A Tale for the Time Being."
