Bibliofemme News
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09/09/2005
Two Irish authors for Booker Prize shortlist
Irish authors John Banville and Sebastian Barry are among the six authors on the shortlist for this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
The other four authors, from an original longlist of 17, are Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ali Smith and Zadie Smith.
The shortlisted books are John Banville's The Sea, Julian Barnes' Arthur & George, Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, Ali Smith's The Accidental and Zadie Smith's On Beauty.
John Sutherland, chairman of the 2005 judging panel, commented on the difficulties that the panel had in choosing from what was one of the strongest longlists in years.
"The selection of a shortlist, the judges felt, was an unusually difficult process this year," said Sutherland. "There was sufficient quality for two distinguished lists. We were aware that the rules require that the award be to the best novel.
"The strength of the year's competition can be measured by the fact that three good books by previous Man Booker winners were finally not selected. This shortlist, we believe, witnesses to the remarkable quality of the current state of fiction. We look forward to the final round."
Veteran novelist Banville's The Sea is the story of a man who returns to the coastal town where he holidayed when he was young in order to escape a loss.
A Long Long Way, about the experience of Irish soldiers in the Great War, is the fourth novel by Dublin poet, playwright and novelist Sebastian Barry.
The winner of the prize, due to be announced on 10 October in London, will receive £50,000.
Bibliofemme reviews: The Sea by John Banville
Bibliofemme reviews: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
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