An 'exceptional year' as Man Booker prize list revealed.THE longlist for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction was announced last night, including two former winners and three first-time novelists, in what was described by judges as an "exceptional" year. A total of 132 books were considered for the Man Booker Dozen of 13 novels. Chairman of judges James Naughtie James ("Jim") Naughtie (born 9 August 1952) is a BBC journalist and radio news presenter. Since 1994 he has been one of the main regular presenters of Radio 4's Today programme. said the list was one of the strongest in memory. It includes books by former winner AS Byatt and JM Coetzee, who has triumphed twice previously. Byatt won for Possession in 1990 and Coetzee's works Disgrace and Life & Times of Michael K claimed victory in 1999 and 1983 respectively. First-timers Samantha Harvey, Ed O'Loughlin and James Lever have also made it onto the longlist. A further four people in the running have been shortlisted in previous years. They are Sarah Waters Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, as well the novels that followed, including Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Night Watch. , William Trevor William Trevor, KBE (born May 24 1928) is an Irish short story writer, novelist and playwright. Biography Born William Trevor Cox in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Irish Free State to a middle-class Protestant family, he moved several times to other provincial towns , Colm Toibin and Sarah Hall  This biographical article or section is written like a resume.Please help [ improve this article] by revising it to be and encyclopedic. . Broadcaster and author Mr Naughtie said of this year's selection: "We believe it to be one of the strongest lists in recent memory, with two former winners, four pastshortlisted writers, three firsttime novelists and a span of styles and themes." The list covers subjects as diverse as the court of Henry VIII, a 19th-century Essex asylum, an African war zone and a futuristic Brazilian city. Mr Naughtie added: "These are books that readers will want to get their hands on." The prize is worth pounds 50,000 to the winner, who sees a jump in book sales. The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga, won the Prize in 2008. |
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