Book News: NoViolet Bulawayo, Jhumpa Lahiri Shortlisted For Booker Prize
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
The shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, Britain's most prestigious literary award, was announced Tuesday morning. Although the prize is limited to writers from the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland, the list skews international, and includes authors from Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Canada. The complete shortlist is:
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Testament of Mary by Colm Tibn
The Man Booker Prize is a perennial source of controversy, with past selections criticized as either too popular or not readable enough. This year's list seems to strike a balance, avoiding big bestsellers while still choosing accessible novels. Two of the books, The Luminaries and The Lowland, haven't yet come out in the U.S. (though American audiences can read the beginning of The Luminaries courtesy of Granta, and a long excerpt of The Lowland is available over at The New Yorker). The 50,000 prize (roughly equal to $78,000) will be announced Oct. 15.