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| image: Little Apple Bookshop | |
The 13-book longlist for the £50,000 (about $65,565) Man Booker Prize was announced yesterday. The shortlist will be unveiled September 13 and a winner named October 17. This year's long listed titles are:
4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster (U.S.)
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Ireland)
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (U.S.)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan-U.K.)
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack (Ireland)
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (U.K.)
Elmet by Fiona Mozley (U.K.)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (India)
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (U.S.)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (U.K.-Pakistan)
Autumn by Ali Smith (U.K.)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith (U.K.)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (U.S.)
Chair of judges Baroness Lola Young commented: "Only when we'd finally selected our 13 novels did we fully realize the huge energy, imagination and variety in them as a group. The longlist showcases a diverse spectrum--not only of voices and literary styles but of protagonists too, in their culture, age and gender. Nevertheless we found there was a spirit common to all these novels: though their subject matter might be turbulent, their power and range were life-affirming--a tonic for our times. Together their authors--both recognized and new--explore an array of literary forms and techniques, from those working in a traditional vein to those who aim to move the walls of fiction."
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Zana Fraillon won the AU$3,000 (about US$2,377) Readings Young Adult Book Prize, which is awarded to the best new contribution to Australian YA literature, for The Bone Sparrow. The winning title was previously shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Book Prize, and was named the 2017 Amnesty CILIP Honor book. It was chosen by a panel of four Readings YA book specialists, along with guest judge and YA author Lili Wilkinson.
Wilkinson commented: "The simple, beautiful prose is such a pleasure to read, almost lulling you into a false sense of security, before you receive the sickening gut punch of reality--this story is really happening, and it's really happening in our own country. The Bone Sparrow is important, it's a story that must be told, a story we must confront. At times it is bleak, but it is also a celebration of warmth, hope, humor and humanity."