2012 Man Booker Prize Shortlist Announced
The nominees for the Man Booker Prize were announced today in London.
The Huffington Post reports that Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies is currently considered the favorite on the Booker Prize shortlist. Bring up the Bodies is the sequel to Mantel’s 2009 Booker Prize-winning book Wolf Hall.
Peter Stothard, Chair of judges, comments:
“After re-reading an extraordinary longlist of twelve, it was the pure power of prose that settled most debates. We loved the shock of language shown in so many different ways and were exhilarated by the vigour and vividly defined values in the six books that we chose – and in the visible confidence of the novel’s place in forming our words and ideas.”
Here are the current contenders for the 2012 Man Booker Prize.
- Tan Twan Eng, The Garden of Evening Mists
- Deborah Levy, Swimming Home
- Hilary Mantel, Bring up the Bodies
- Alison Moore, The Lighthouse
- Will Self, Umbrella
- Jeet Thayil, Narcopolis
The shortlist includes two debut novels, three from independent publishers, two former shortlisted authors, and a previous winner. Four of the authors are British, while one hails from India and the other from Malaysia.
The winner of the 2012 Man Booker Prize will be announced at London’s Guildhall on Tuesday, October 16. The winner will receive £50,000, notoriety, and a big boost in book sales. The runner-ups will receive £2,500 and a specially commissioned handbound edition of their book.
