|
|
The Man Booker Prize list was announced in London on Wednesday with J.M. Coetzee and A.S. Byatt leading the list, but it is surprising that there are no Indian novelists in the list this time.
Coetzee, who has won the prize twice, is competing this time with his semi-autobiographical work "Summertime", while Byatt has "The Children's Book" in the list.
Indian authors have monopolised short lists in recent years - Aravid Adiga won the prize last year for "The White Tiger" - there are no authors from the country in the long list.
"These are books that readers will want to get their hands on," the chair of judges, James Naughtie.
"The five Man Booker judges have settled on thirteen novels as the longlist for this year's prize. We believe it to be one of the strongest lists in recent memory, with two former winners, four past-shortlisted writers, three first-time novelists and a span of styles and themes that make this an outstandingly rich fictional mix."
After considering about 130 books, the judges said that "We found ourselves travelling in a fertile landscape. We kept discovering new talent as well as reacquainting ourselves with familiar writers, and emerged with a feeling that we were part of an exceptional year."
The short list will be announced Sep 8 and the winner Oct 6.
