Hello
Gentle Reader
Summer
is burning off, while autumn lurks right around corner; and the literary award
season is beginning to start up once again. Yesterday, the Booker Prize
released its longlist, for this year’s Booker Prize, which contains thirteen
novels and writers, predominately dominated by English (U.K.) and American
writers, and even more interestingly enough, it favours established prize
winning authors.
The
longlist as follows:
Arundhati
Roy – India – “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,”
Paul
Auster – U.S. – “4321,”
Ali
Smith – U.K – “Autumn,”
Kamila
Shamsie – U.K./Pakistan – “Home Fire,”
Colson
Whitehead – U.S. – “The Underground Railroad,”
Mike
McCormak – Ireland – “Solar Bones,”
Moshin
Hamad – U.K./Pakistan – Exit West,”
Emily
Fridlund – U.S. – “History of Wolves,”
Sebastian
Barry – Ireland – “Days Without End,”
George
Saunders – U.S. – “Lincoln in the Bardo,”
Fiona
Mozely – U.K. – “Elmet,”
John
McGregor – U.K. – “Reservoir 13,”
Zadie
Smith – U.K. – “Swing Time,”
This
years Booker Prize longlist hosts: six female writers, and seven male writers;
four writers are form the U.S, while six writers are from the U.K.—two of which
duel with Pakistan; there are two writers from Ireland, and one writer from
India. On this year’s longlist there are two debut writers: Fiona Mozely and
Emily Fridlund; while the other are writers are either established, prize
winning or well-known. Arundhati Roy is one of the more interesting writers on
the list. “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,” is her second novel in
twenty-years; where her first novel: “The God of Small Things,” won the Booker
Prize in nineteen-seventy seven. It should come to no surprise that of the
longlisted authors Arundhati Roy is receiving the most attention, and is highly
suspected to end up on the shortlist. Ali Smith is no stranger to the Booker
Prize either, often being nominated and shortlisted for the prize, but passed
over in favour of others. Zadie Smith, is the wonderkid of English literature,
she came to fame in the early two-thousands with her debut: “White Teeth.”
Since then, Zadie Smith has been of the most recognizable writers of contemporary
English literature, her last nomination for the Booker Prize was in
two-thousand and five, with her novel “On Beauty.” Paul Auster makes an appearance
on the list with his newest novel in seven years: “4321,” which is an
eight-hundred and eighty page whooper. Auster is a well known American writer,
who has been nominated for many literary awards, including the IMPAC Literary
Dublin award eight times. Austre has been called a postmodernist master of
American fiction. George Saunders is a well known American writer, who has only
produced short stories and the occasional novella; until now. “Lincoln in the
Bardo,” is his debut novel, and has been well received. Both Pakistani born
writers, Moshin Hamad and Kamila Shamsie, discuss the contentious politics of
the Middle East, and the human stories located within. Sebastian Barry’s “Days
Without End,” is a Costa Book Award winner.
This
year’s Booker Prize has been praised for its strong diversity as well as the
ration between men and women. It will be interesting to see who ends up on the
shortlist. Though as it stands the most speculated writer to end up on the
shortlist at this time is: Arundhati Roy, whose novel “The Ministry of Utmost
Happiness,” has been called a masterful novel of composition and craft.
Thank-you
for Reading Gentle Reader,
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
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