The Man Booker Prize Shortlist

The Man Booker Prize is given annually to the best novel written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, and it is a very big deal in the UK and in other Commonwealth countries. Every year a committee chooses a "longlist" of 12 or 13 titles, and then a bit later narrows the list to a "shortlist" of six titles. The shortlist for 2010 has just been announced. The titles on that list are: "Parrot and Oliver in America," by Peter Carey (Australian-born); "Room," by Emma Donoghue (Irish-born, lives in Canada); "In a Strange Room," by Damot Galgut (South African); "The Finkler Question," by Howard Jacobson (English); "The Long Song," by Andrea Levy (Jamaican-born, English); and "C," by Tom McCarthy (English). I appreciate the Booker Prize lists because they provide a window into the best literature in English from around the world; this opens up my sense of connection to English literature beyond the books reviewed in The New York Times and other U.S. publications. Sometimes I have already heard of, and sometimes have read, the authors, sometimes not. I was happy to see Emma Donoghue's new novel on the list; readers of this blog may remember that I have written about three of her earlier books: "The Sealed Letter" on 7/20/10 and "Touchy Subjects" and "Landing" on 7/31/10. I very much admire and like her work, and look forward to reading the new novel when it arrives in the U.S. As for the other shortlisted writers, I have already requested "In a Strange Room," by Galgut, from my local library, and will look into checking out the other titles as well. The winner of this year's Booker Prize will be announced on October 12th; so far the favorites seem to be "Parrot and Oliver in America" and "Room." But just being on the short list, winner or not, is an honor and brings much recognition to the selected authors.