Hello
Gentle Reader
After
a startling and strong longlist of books and writers, the Man Booker
International Prize judges had the daunting task of refining and reducing the
longlist to a more manageable shortlist, which will be deliberated, ruminated,
and debated over until a winner has been decided and declared on May 21st.
The
previous longlist glistened with striking writers from all over the world, such
as Can Xue from China, to Jokha Alharthi from Oman, touring Europe with such
writers as: Hubert Mingarelli in France, Sara Stridsberg from Sweden; before
moving down south with writers such as Samanta Schweblin from Argentina, only
to return to the far east once again with (South) Korean author Hwang Sok-yong.
Despite this, the adjudicating authorities set to work and begun the process of
deliberating the longlisted authors and debating who would make it to the
shortlist.
Without
further delay, Gentle Reader, the following is this year’s shortlist for the
Man Booker International Prize: [listed in no particular order]
Annie
Ernaux – France – “The Years,”
Jokha
Alharthi – Oman – “Celestial Bodies,”
Alia
Trabucco Zeran – Chile – “The Remainder,”
Mario
Poschmann – Germany – “The Pine Islands,”
Juan
Gabriel Vásquez – Columbia – “The Shape of The Ruins,”
Olga
Tokarczuk – Poland – “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,”
Immediately
after reviewing the shortlist there is no denying the immediate fact: it is
dominated by woman. Five of the shortlist writes are woman, while the singular
male outlier is Columbian author, Juan Gabriel Vásquez. This female dominated
shortlist has since grabbed headlines and the attention of critics and readers
alike, who do not disagree with the strength of the shortlist, despite the peculiar
gender gap in what is often seen as an extremely rare event.
Of
note for this year’s shortlist, last year’s winner, Olga Tokarczuk makes an
immediate return with her ecological mystical novel playing with the idea of a
murder mystery. If Olga Tokarczuk wins, she will be the first author to receive
the Man Booker International Prize twice. The only other author who has won the
prize and been shortlisted a second time has been Han Kang and Laszlo
Krasznahorkai.
This
year’s favourite to receive the award is the French memoirist and social
geographer Annie Ernaux, with her publicly attuned memoirs and social and
contemporary historical commentary: “The Years,” which has been described as
her magnum opus. “The Years,” had initially
raised eyebrows when it was included on this year’s longlist, due to it not
being a work of fiction, but rather a strange memoir written in a plural
narrative, eschewing any intimacy of a typical memoir or diary, in favour of
cold clinical detachment and observation delivered in sharp and acute insight
with prose that disregards sentimentality and sensationalism, to deliver a
formulated account of the changing decades.
Omitting
the inclusion of Olga Tokarczuk and Annie Ernaux from deliberations, the
shortlist remains vivid and strong. Jokha Alharthi’s novel “Celestial Bodies,”
is a multigenerational historical epic recounting Oman’s modernization into the
world. Marion Poschmann’s offbeat novel “The Pine Islands,” is a humorous
account of sadness, traveling, and cultural dialogue which received great
applause. Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s novel is a testament to the long and bloodied
history of Columbia, giving reflection to its current cease fire and political
stability. Alia Trabucco’s novel recounts and traces themes of family,
politics, history, violence and redemption into a narrative that is original and
needed.
The
shortlist retains it’s the quality of the longlist. Some omissions were interesting
to note, such as Can Xue and her novel “Love in the New Millennium,” Sara Stridsberg
“The Faculty of Dreams,” Hubert Mingarelli “Four Soldiers,” and Samanta
Schweblin “Mouthful of Birds.” Despite this it’s a wonderfully crafted
shortlist with an invigorating group of authors.
The
best of luck to all writers who have received their rightful place on the
shortlist!
Thank-you
For Reading Gentle Reader
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
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