Booker longlist ‘dozen’ announced – now the countdown begins
THE longlist for the 2020 Booker Prize was announced last week.
Thirteen books were selected for “The Booker Dozen” by a panel of five judges: Margaret Busby (chair), editor, literary critic and former publisher; Lee Child, author; Sameer Rahim, author and critic; Lemn Sissay, writer and broadcaster; and Emily Wilson, classicist and translator.
Chosen from 162 novels either published or to be published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2019 and September 2020, the Booker Prize for Fiction is open to writers of all nationalities who write in English.
This year’s list includes Diane Cook (US) The New Wilderness; Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) This Mournable
Avni Doshi (US) Burnt Sugar; Gabriel Krauze (UK) Who They Was;
Hilary Mantel (UK) The Mirror & The
Light; Colum McCann (Ireland/US) Apeirogon; Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia/ US) The Shadow King; Kiley Reid (US) Such a Fun Age; Douglas Stuart (Scotland/US) Shuggie Bain; Brandon Taylor (US) Real Life; Anne Tyler (US) by The Side of The Road; Sophie Ward (UK) Love and Other Thought Experiments; and finally, C Pam Zhang (US) How Much of These Hills is Gold.
Chair Busby said: “Each of these books carries an impact that has earned it a place on the longlist, deserving of wide readership. Included are novels carried by the sweep of history with memorable characters brought to life and given visibility, novels that represent a moment of cultural change, or the pressures an individual faces in pre- and post-dystopian society.
“Some of the books focus on interpersonal relationships that are complex, nuanced, emotionally charged. There are voices from minorities often unheard, stories that are fresh, bold and absorbing. The best fiction enables the reader to relate to other people’s lives; sharing experiences that we could not ourselves have imagined is as powerful as being able to identify with characters.”
The literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, added that more than half the list were debut novels.
“That’s an unusually high proportion, and especially surprising to the judges themselves, who had admired many books by more established authors, and regretted having to let them go. It is perhaps obvious that powerful stories can come from unexpected places and in unfamiliar forms; nevertheless, this kaleidoscopic list serves as a reminder. In this year of seismic change, visibility for new books published in the UK has been drastically low. So, however unintended the ratio, it’s especially heartening to know that some authors who have launched their careers in the midst of Covid-19 may now have a chance to reach the readers they deserve.”
The shortlist of six books, will be announced on Tuesday, September 15 and the 2020 winner, to be announced in November, will get international recognition. Shortlisted authors each receive £2 500 (R1.1 million) and a specially bound edition of their book.
Last year’s Booker Prize for Fiction was won jointly by Margaret Atwood for The Testaments and Bernardine Evaristo for Girl, Woman, Other. In the week following the announcement, sales of The Testaments rose from 11 955 to 13 400 copies while Girl,
Woman, Other sold 5 980 copies, more than double its lifetime sales up to that point. Girl, Woman, Other has spent 25 weeks in The Sunday Times Top Ten, several at No 1 and its combined sales in all editions and formats are heading towards half a million. The book will be published in 32 territories internationally and TV rights have been optioned.